Key Liverpool man to join European rivals as financial breakthrough made

Liverpool sporting director Julian Ward is set to join Ajax in the summer, reports suggest.

According to the Mirror, Ward will take up a role in a similar capacity at the Dutch giants after it surprisingly emerged last November he would leave Anfield at the end of the 2022-23 season.

Ward succeeded the highly-regarded Michael Edwards in the key backroom position at the start of this campaign. But having been pivotal to engineering the signings of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, he’ll spend just 12 months in the role.

It is reported that Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar has finally found a breakthrough over financial terms and Ward will start in his new role at the Johan Cruyff Stadium.

Ajax, second in the Eredivisie, will have cash for Ward to spend after making players sale of around £500 million over the past three years.

Liverpool are still to announce who will replace Ward as sporting director.