Ajax has entered negotiations to sign Moroccan midfielder Azzedine Ounahi from Girona, targeting the 26-year-old whose stock skyrocketed after a standout 2026 FIFA World Cup performance. The deal hinges on a €25M release clause that Ajax would very much prefer not to pay in full.

The transfer talks, reported by journalist Fabrizio Romano on July 11, 2026, involve three-way discussions between Ajax, Girona, and Ounahi’s camp. No agreement has been reached yet, and the negotiations are described as fluid.

Why Ajax sees a discount opportunity

Girona was relegated to the Segunda División at the end of the 2025-26 season, which fundamentally changes the math on holding onto a player of Ounahi’s caliber.

Ounahi’s contract runs until 2030 and contains a €25M release clause. Girona has reportedly held firm on that number, having previously turned away lower bids from other interested clubs.

Girona originally acquired Ounahi from Marseille for approximately €6M in August 2025. Even at a discounted fee well below the release clause, the Spanish club would still book a healthy profit on a player they’ve held for less than a year.

World Cup performances change everything

Ounahi’s market value has shifted dramatically thanks to his performances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he scored two goals and played a significant role in Morocco’s run to the quarter-finals.

This isn’t Ounahi’s first time turning heads on the global stage. The midfielder first gained widespread recognition during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Morocco made their historic semi-final run. That tournament earned him his move to Marseille, and this latest World Cup showing is now fueling his next career chapter.

For a player who moved from Marseille to Girona just last summer for €6M, a transfer in the range of €20-25M would represent a roughly four-fold increase in valuation in under 12 months.