Litmanen close to Ajax return

Jari Litmanen is set to leave Liverpool for former club Ajax, according to the Dutch club’s technical director Leo Beenhakker.

Litmanen has been unhappy with the limited amount of first team action he has had at Anfield – although Reds boss Gerard Houllier said earlier this week he wanted the player to stay, despite granting Galatasaray permission to speak with him.

But Beenhakker said on Dutch radio tonight he expects Litmanen to complete a return to the club in the near future.

He told Langs de Lijn: “He will sign for one year and after that it is our intention and his intention to add another year and a half to it.”

The 31-year-old, who joined Liverpool from Barcelona last year, ended a six-year stay with Ajax when he moved to the Nou Camp in 1999.

It is believed the Finnish playmaker is hoping to end his career in Amsterdam and then take charge of one of the club’s youth teams.