Former Arsenal youngster refusing to be forced out of Ajax | OneFootball

Chuba Akpom has made it clear he will not be pushed into leaving Ajax for just any team, despite the club wanting him to leave to ease their wage bill and create space for new signings.

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Ajax are keen to move on several players considered surplus to requirements after recent arrivals, but Akpom has reportedly imposed strict conditions over any transfer and has already rejected approaches from Samsunspor and an unnamed Saudi Arabian club.

The striker, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Lille, returned to Amsterdam after the French club declined their option to buy.

His stance leaves Ajax with a financial headache. Akpom’s wages, signed off when he arrived from Middlesbrough in a £10–14 million deal in 2023, are seen as excessive and reportedly one of the deals that led to Sven Mislintat losing his job with the Dutch side.

The player’s market value has also dropped sharply, from €12.3 million at its peak to around €6.6 million.

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For Akpom, 29, who scored 15 goals in 36 appearances during his first season in Amsterdam but rarely secured a starting berth, there is no urgency to move unless the right offer arrives. His contract runs until 2028.

That complicates Ajax’s squad planning as they attempt to reshape under new management.

Akpom came through Arsenal’s academy, making 12 senior appearances before leaving permanently in 2018.

After a title‑winning spell at PAOK, who paid Arsenal €2.2m for him, and a Golden Boot season at Middlesbrough, he rebuilt his reputation to earn his move to Ajax.

What happens next, as the club signal they are ready to move on, is unclear.