One of the most high-profile free agents on the European football market is finally set to find a new club, with former Tottenham Hotspur defensive midfielder Yves Bissouma on the cusp of signing for Eredivisie giants Ajax. The 30-year-old Malian international has been without a club since his Tottenham contract expired this past June, when the north London side opted not to extend his deal.
According to exclusive reporting from senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel, Bissouma has already agreed to terms on a contract that will keep him at the Amsterdam-based club through the end of the 2026-27 season, with an optional 12-month extension built into the deal that can be triggered at the club’s discretion. The midfielder is already on the ground in Amsterdam this week, putting the final finishing touches on the administrative and medical checks required to formalize the transfer.
Bissouma first joined Tottenham back in 2021, in a widely covered transfer move from Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion. Across his three-and-a-half year spell with the London club, he earned 111 total appearances across all competitions. However, his final months at Tottenham were marked by public controversy: in August 2025, then-Spurs manager Thomas Frank dropped Bissouma from the matchday squad for the club’s UEFA Super Cup fixture against Paris Saint-Germain, citing repeated issues with the player showing up late to team obligations and training sessions.
In his final season with Tottenham, Bissouma only featured in 11 matches, all of which came in the Premier League. That campaign ended in disappointment for the club, which finished 17th in the top-flight table for the second consecutive season, extending its run of poor league form. The move to Ajax will mark a return to the Netherlands for Bissouma, who earlier in his career plied his trade at Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar before his move to Brighton, giving him existing familiarity with the league’s style of play as he integrates into his new side.