Ajax target Bissouma on one-year deal with option after busy summer window
Ajax are close to signing former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma on a free transfer, according to reports in the Netherlands.
The Mali international, 30, has been without a club since Tottenham ended his contract after it expired at the end of the 2025-26 season. De Telegraaf reports that Bissouma is expected to sign a one-year contract with the option of an additional year once he completes a medical on Tuesday.
Ajax have been looking at the free-agent market as technical director Jordi Cruyff seeks another option in midfield. The Dutch club have already had a busy summer, bringing in 11 players, including midfielders Sofyan Amrabat and Julian Brandt.
Bissouma would arrive with plenty of Premier League experience.
Tottenham signed him from Brighton in 2022 for around €30 million. He made 111 appearances for Spurs, scored twice and won the UEFA Europa League in 2025.
His time in north London, however, was also marked by disciplinary problems.
Tottenham suspended Bissouma in August 2024 after he posted a video in which he appeared to inhale nitrous oxide from a balloon. He was suspended again in August 2025 after arriving late to several team meetings, according to then-head coach Thomas Frank.
In December 2025, Bissouma was again linked to an alleged nitrous oxide incident, with Tottenham reportedly considering further disciplinary action.
Those incidents affected how his Spurs career was viewed, but Ajax appear willing to offer him a new start. The proposed short-term contract would limit the club’s risk while giving Bissouma the chance to prove that he can still be a useful player at a high level.
Ajax already have several midfield options, but Bissouma’s profile is different. At his best, he can cover ground, win the ball and move play forward from deeper areas. His Premier League background may also bring experience to a squad that has changed heavily during the summer.
The deal is not official yet. A medical and the final contract details still need to be completed. But if the reports are correct, Bissouma could soon become Ajax’s latest signing and begin the next chapter of his career in Amsterdam.
For Bissouma, it is a chance to return to football after a period without a club. For Ajax, it is a low-cost gamble on a midfielder who has shown his ability before, but now needs to rebuild trust as well as form.
