Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool on red alert as Ajax nightmare puts trio in shop window | Football | Sport

Ajax’s latest dreary result may have opened the door to Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool in the January transfer window. An up-and-down season for the Amsterdam giants is sure to unsettle a number of their sought-after youngsters, and the Premier League trio in question are reportedly preparing to pounce.

Thursday’s KNVB Cup outing against fourth-tier USV Hercules went from bad, to good, to terrible for Ajax. The heavy favourites clawed their way back from two goals down via Chuba Akpom’s 89th-minute leveller, before Mats Grotenberg sealed a famous win for the underdogs in stoppage time.

It marked the latest instalment in what has been a surreal campaign for Ajax, who are 23 points behind runaway Eredivisie leaders PSV Eindhoven after spending the opening weeks of 2023/24 in the relegation zone.

Clinging onto their top talent, as one of the finest breeding grounds for future stars in all of Europe, is sure to be a tough ask this winter.

Liverpool are rumoured to be eyeing up Devyne Rensch, the promising right-back who has made more than 100 senior appearances for Ajax since breaking into the first team as a teenager.

Rensch has just over 18 months remaining on his contract in the Netherlands, so January could be an opportune time for the Reds to test the Dutch giants’ resolve, given that convincing the player to sign a new deal at Ajax is likely to be a tough sell.

United’s vested interest surrounds Brian Brobbey. The 21-year-old has been a bright spark in an otherwise dreary campaign for Ajax, with 12 goals contributions in 15 Eredivisie appearances thus far.

Brobbey has already worked with United boss Erik ten Hag, and the striker previously described a move to Old Trafford as his ‘dream‘. Links have gone cold in recent months, but with Rasmus Hojlund failing to produce the goods in front of goal, it is hard to imagine that Ten Hag wouldn’t be tempted if an opportunity to reunite landed in his lap.