Ajax Signs Femke Liefting on Loan from Chelsea

Ajax have moved to strengthen their goalkeeping department with the loan signing of Chelsea’s Femke Liefting for the 2026/27 campaign, handing the Dutch youngster a timely route back to regular football.

The deal, announced on the club’s website on Friday morning, sends the 21-year-old back to familiar territory in the Azerion Vrouwen Eredivisie after an 18‑month spell in England that never quite caught fire.

Back to where it all made sense

Liefting’s rise began close to home. She broke through at VV Alkmaar before stepping across to neighbours AZ in 2023, quickly building a reputation as one of the most promising young goalkeepers in the Dutch game. Her form there turned heads abroad, and it was Chelsea – champions of the Barclays Women’s Super League – who moved in January 2025.

The switch to London looked like the perfect launchpad. Instead, injuries dragged her momentum to a halt. Foot and hip problems disrupted her adaptation to the English game, limiting her chances to challenge for a place in Chelsea’s senior setup.

She did, however, find some rhythm on loan at Newcastle United last season, picking up valuable minutes and a taste of the intensity of English football. It wasn’t a full breakthrough, but it was enough to show there is substance behind the early hype.

Ajax bet on potential and pedigree

Ajax have now stepped in with a clear proposition: game time, responsibility, and a platform she already understands.

The club’s technical manager, Dolf Roks, underlined exactly why Ajax pushed to bring her back. “Femke is a talented goalkeeper who has already proven her quality in the Vrouwen Eredivisie. She also gained valuable experience at the highest level during her time at Chelsea, where she continued to develop. We are delighted that she will add experience and quality to our squad for the coming season,” he said.

It is a move that suits all three parties. Ajax add a goalkeeper with both domestic pedigree and big-club schooling. Liefting returns to a league where she has already shown she can excel. Chelsea retain long-term control of a player still under contract at Stamford Bridge until the summer of 2028.

For Liefting, the equation is simple now. She needs a run of games, a clean bill of health, and a season that looks more like the early chapters of her career than the stop-start spell that followed. Ajax are offering the stage. The rest is up to her.