Jordan Henderson is set to join Brentford as a free agent after the midfielder’s exit from Ajax.
The 35-year-old England international left the Dutch club when his contract was terminated by mutual agreement and he will return to the Premier League on a two-year deal until 2027.
Henderson had interest from across Europe but making a comeback to England was his priority, with Brentford winning the race to secure him.
A medical and paperwork will be done over the weekend but an official announcement is not expected until next week out of respect to former team-mate Diogo Jota and his family, following the Liverpool attacker’s tragic death.
Henderson was identified by Brentford as their top target once it became clear captain Christian Norgaard would be moving to Arsenal, with his quality and experience on and off the pitch carrying appeal.
After a season in which they finished tenth, Brentford have seen the departure of Norgaard to Arsenal and potentially their top scorer with Bryan Mbeumo wanting to join Manchester United.
They have already seen their first-choice keeper Mark Flekken move to Bayer Leverkusen and head coach Thomas Frank move in June to manage Tottenham Hotspur after seven years in west London.
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Henderson made 492 appearances for Liverpool during a 12-year stay at the club after he signed from Sunderland in 2011.
He captained the Merseyside club to their Premier League title season in 2019-20, their Champions League-winning campaign in 2018-19 alongside FA Cup and Carabao Cup triumphs in 2022.
Henderson is a direct replacement for Christian Norgaard as they both play in a deep-lying midfield role but he will offer Brentford so much more than that.
Henderson’s arrival will plug the leadership void that Norgaard and Mee left behind.
