Ghana’s Kamaldeen Sulemana has seen his anticipated move from Southampton to Ajax fall through due to paperwork delays on deadline day.
The 22-year-old was set to join the Dutch giants on a season-long loan with an option to make it permanent for approximately €20 million.
Despite the promising move, which was facilitated by Steve Bergwijn’s transfer to Saudi club Al-Ittihad, creating space for Sulemana at Ajax, the necessary documents were submitted too late.
As a result, FIFA rejected the late request to finalise the transfer, according to Dutch and Ajax journalist Mike Verweij.
The move seemed promising, especially given the space created by Bergwijn’s departure.
However, the timing proved crucial, and the paperwork could not be completed before the deadline.
Ajax had allowed Bergwijn to join Al-Ittihad, expecting Sulemana to fill the void, but the paperwork delays ultimately led to the transfer being rejected by FIFA.
READ MORE: Ajax agree loan deal with option to buy for Kamaldeen Sulemana
Sulemana will now remain with Southampton, where he will focus on recovering from injury and working his way back into Russell Martin’s squad for the remainder of the season.
This setback is a significant disappointment for both Sulemana and Ajax, who had high hopes for his contribution to the team.
