According to Dutch media, Ajax has launched a major clear-out: Josip Šutalo is also listed among the players offered to the market
According to Dutch media reports, Ajax has entered an extensive reconstruction of the squad and has placed a large number of players on the digital transfer platform TransferRoom for whom it is prepared to consider offers. The portal Voetbal4U, citing information presented in the television programme De Oranjezomer by former Dutch international Theo Janssen, states that the list contains 21 footballers. Among the names published is Croatian international Josip Šutalo, the centre-back who arrived in Amsterdam from Dinamo in the summer of 2023 and who, according to his official Ajax profile, has a contract until 30 June 2028. Ajax has not yet officially confirmed either the number of players or the complete list of those who, according to media reports, are available to leave, so the information must at this point be treated as unofficial transfer news.
According to the same source, the aim of such a move is not only the sale of individuals, but also the creation of space for a new phase of building the squad. Ajax finished the 2025/26 season in the Dutch league in fifth place, with 56 points, which for a club of such status is far from the level traditionally targeted in Amsterdam. A change on the bench has also recently been confirmed at the club: according to Ajax’s official announcement of 2 June 2026, Miguel Ángel Sánchez Muñoz, better known as Míchel, signed a contract as head coach until 30 June 2028. Technical director Jordi Cruijff said in the same announcement that, after filling the coaching position, work on strengthening the squad can continue, which gives the whole transfer story a broader context.
Šutalo’s name resonates especially because of his status and contract
The inclusion of Josip Šutalo among the players who could leave Ajax is particularly interesting because this is not a footballer whose contract is expiring, nor a player who arrived in Amsterdam as a short-term solution. Ajax’s official website states that Šutalo signed a five-year contract after arriving from Dinamo, and in his current club profile he is listed as a defender wearing number 37. He was born on 28 February 2000 in Čapljina, while the Croatian Football Federation lists him as a member of the senior national team and a defender who made his senior debut on 10 June 2022. According to the HNS database, Šutalo has made 31 appearances for the Croatian senior national team, without scoring a goal.
Ajax’s official statistics for the 2025/26 season state that Šutalo played 24 matches in the Eredivisie, six in the UEFA Champions League and one in the Dutch Cup that season. Transfermarkt, a specialist portal for market values and contractual data, states that Šutalo has been an Ajax player since 20 August 2023, that his contract expires on 30 June 2028 and that his market value at the end of May 2026 was estimated at 12 million euros. Such data explain why his possible departure, if it happens, would have both sporting and financial significance for the club.
On the other hand, the fact that a player’s name appears on a transfer-mediation platform does not automatically mean that a transfer has been agreed, that the club is actively negotiating with a specific buyer or that departure is inevitable. In practice, such a move most often means that the club is willing to hear offers and assess the market. In the case of a player with a long-term contract, such as Šutalo, a sale would usually depend on the amount of the offer, the plans of the new coach, the need to free up budget and the assessment of whether the club can find an appropriate replacement. Therefore, at the moment, the most precise thing to say is that Šutalo’s future at Ajax is open, but not that his departure has been agreed.
What TransferRoom is and why it matters in this story
In recent years, TransferRoom has established itself as digital infrastructure for the football market, and the platform itself is described as a place that enables clubs, agents and players to access market information and communicate directly with decision-makers. According to TransferRoom’s official description, it is a network that gives clubs live market insight and direct access to a global network of football stakeholders. In that sense, it is not a public noticeboard for fans, but a professional tool used in the background of transfer processes. Precisely for that reason, the publication or inclusion of a player on such a platform can carry weight, but it does not have to mean that a sale is in its final stage.
Theo Janssen, according to Voetbal4U, explained that clubs on TransferRoom can let other clubs know which players are available and under which approximate financial conditions they would be prepared to discuss a deal. Janssen said that other clubs can receive a notification if they are looking for the profile of a player who is on the list, and that, according to his explanation, an indicative amount expected by the club can also appear alongside the name. He also added that such amounts are flexible, meaning that they can be negotiated. This is an important nuance because the transfer market rarely functions on the principle of a fixed price: initial expectations are often only a starting point for talks.
According to the list reported by Voetbal4U, alongside Šutalo, players of different profiles are also mentioned, from experienced first-team members to younger footballers and players who in recent seasons have been on loan or have had a changing status. Among the published names are, among others, Kasper Dolberg, Oscar Gloukh, Steven Berghuis, Youri Baas, Anton Gaaei, Owen Wijndal, Ahmetcan Kaplan, Sivert Mannsverk, Branco van den Boomen, Amourricho van Axel Dongen and Gastón Ávila. Since Ajax has not officially published that list, each individual case should be viewed with caution. Still, the sheer breadth of the unofficial list suggests that a considerably deeper squad intervention than the usual summer refresh of the dressing room is being considered in Amsterdam.
Cruijff and Míchel face their first major summer test
The squad story around Ajax is taking place at a moment when the club is trying to stabilise its sporting direction after a period of results-related and organisational changes. According to Ajax’s official announcement, Jordi Cruijff began working as technical director on 1 February 2026, and his appointment is linked to a mandate running until 30 June 2028. Ajax then formally informed shareholders of his appointment to the board at an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders on 9 March 2026, which shows that the club is giving the technical sector a central role in the new period. The summer transfer window will therefore be Cruijff’s first major test of his ability to simultaneously sell surplus players, protect the value of the best players and bring in reinforcements that will suit the coach’s idea.
Míchel, the new Ajax coach, was presented in the club’s official announcement as an ambitious and demanding expert who led Girona for five seasons and, with them, achieved third place in Spain’s La Liga in the 2023/24 season, the highest finish in that club’s history. Cruijff said in the same announcement that Míchel’s approach suits Ajax and that now, after resolving the coaching issue, the club can continue building the squad. Such a statement does not confirm any individual departure, but it shows that the technical sector is in a phase of active planning. The reports about TransferRoom should also be viewed within that framework: they fit into the broader picture, but by themselves they are not an official confirmation of a transfer.
The sporting logic of the reconstruction is clear. Ajax wants to return to the fight for trophies and stable European competition, and for that it must align the number of players, the profile of the squad and financial possibilities. An oversized squad makes the coach’s work more difficult, reduces minutes for players who need development and burdens the wage budget. At the same time, an overly hasty sell-off can weaken the team and create gaps that are difficult to close in one transfer window. That is why the club is expected to have to carefully weigh who is truly surplus, who can bring in significant revenue and who should be kept as a foundation of the new team.
Financial pressure further explains the transfer strategy
Ajax is a club with a different financial model from the biggest clubs in Europe’s richest leagues. Successful work with young players, timely sales and good results in European competitions have traditionally been important elements of sustainability. According to published data on annual results for the 2024/25 financial year, Ajax reported a net loss of 37.3 million euros, and the decline in results compared with the earlier period was connected above all to a lower transfer result. Such a financial framework does not mean that the club must sell every sought-after player, but it explains why the summer transfer window can also be viewed through the need to balance income and expenditure.
In that context, players with market value and longer contracts become particularly important. They can be a sporting foundation, but also a potential source of significant income if the club assesses that an offer is good enough. That is precisely why Šutalo belongs to a sensitive category: he is still in his best playing years, has international status and a contract that gives Ajax a negotiating position. If the club wants to keep him, the contract provides stability; if it wants to sell, the contract can help achieve a better price. But every such decision carries consequences for the defence, the balance of the squad and the relationship with the fans.
The financial aspect must not be viewed separately from the sporting one. Ajax enters the transfer window after a season in which fifth place in the Eredivisie clearly showed that the team was not consistent enough for the top. According to the official Eredivisie table, PSV, Feyenoord, NEC and Twente finished ahead of Ajax, while clubs from the immediate competition remained very close. Such a ranking creates pressure for decisions to be made quickly, but also precisely enough. Selling too many players without timely replacements could deepen the problem, while targeted squad trimming can help the coach receive a clearer and more functional group already during pre-season preparations.
What a possible departure would mean for Šutalo
For Josip Šutalo, a possible entry onto the market does not necessarily have to be a negative signal. In modern football, even quality players sometimes find themselves in a situation in which a club tests the market, especially if it is changing coach, system or financial priorities. Šutalo arrived at Ajax after a period at Dinamo in which he established himself as one of the most interesting Croatian centre-backs of his generation, and in Amsterdam he gained experience of playing in a demanding environment and in European competitions. If a club appears that is looking for a defender with international experience and is prepared to pay an amount that Ajax considers acceptable, a transfer could become a realistic option.
Still, for now there is no official confirmation that a concrete offer exists for Šutalo, nor has it been announced that the player himself has requested a departure. This is an important difference compared with situations in which negotiations have already been publicly confirmed or in which a club openly announces that a footballer is not in its plans. As long as there is no such confirmation, this is a market signal and a media report, not a concluded deal. For an international who has a contract until 2028, the key will be internal talks within the club, the assessment of the new coach and any interest from clubs that can meet Ajax’s conditions.
In the context of his international career, Šutalo’s status will also be important because of continuity of appearances at club level. For every international, minutes, match rhythm and role at the club directly affect competitive readiness. If Šutalo stays at Ajax and receives a clear role under Míchel, the situation can stabilise. If space for a transfer opens up, it will be important where he would continue his career and what kind of minutes he would have in the new environment. In both scenarios, the summer of 2026 could be important for his club trajectory.
Ajax officially remains silent, the market awaits the first concrete moves
The most important fact at this moment is that Ajax has not officially published a list of players who have been offered to other clubs, nor has it officially confirmed that Josip Šutalo is for sale. Dutch media reports, Janssen’s television appearance and the description of how TransferRoom works create a clear picture that something is happening in the background, but the line between availability for offers and an actual sale remains large. Clubs often test the market for more players than they ultimately actually sell, and some names can serve to gauge interest, negotiating position or a realistic market value.
For Ajax, the transfer window could be decisive for the new project under Míchel and Cruijff. If it is confirmed that the club is prepared to listen to offers for as many as 21 players, it will be one of the most extensive reconstructions in the club’s recent period. If it turns out to be a broader market test, the final number of departures could be significantly smaller. In any case, Šutalo’s name on the unofficial list shows how open the summer in Amsterdam will be and how closely every move by the board, the coach and potential buyers will be followed.
Sources:
- Voetbal4U – reports on Ajax’s list of 21 players on TransferRoom, Theo Janssen’s statement and the published list of names (link)
- AFC Ajax – official profile of Josip Šutalo, contract, position and appearance statistics for the 2025/26 season (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – official national-team profile of Josip Šutalo and data on appearances for the senior national team (link)
- Transfermarkt – contractual and market data on Josip Šutalo, including contract duration and estimated market value (link)
- TransferRoom – official description of the platform and its role in connecting clubs, agents and decision-makers on the transfer market (link)
- AFC Ajax – official announcement on the appointment of Míchel as head coach until 30 June 2028 and statements by Jordi Cruijff (link)
- AFC Ajax – official announcement on Jordi Cruijff beginning work as technical director (link)
- Eredivisie – official table for the 2025/26 season and Ajax’s position in the Dutch league (link)
- Ajax.nl – official page with the 2024/25 annual report and the club’s financial documents (link)