Jorrel Hato hinted he will remain at Ajax this summer, despite reported interest from several Premier League sides.
The 19-year-old is one of the most highly rated young defenders in Europe and started 30 of Ajax’s 34 league matches in 2024-25. Also capable of playing at left-back, Hato has already earned six international caps for the Netherlands.
His performances have drawn links with Liverpool, although those reports have subsided slightly as the Reds’ pursuit of Milos Kerkez has intensified. Hato is also a reported target for the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea.
However, the teenager implied in a recent interview that he has no plans to fly the net just yet.
“The smartest thing is to look at it per season. That's what I do,” Hato told Ajax’s club website during a recent interview.
“Of course you want to achieve things in the end: the Champions League, a World Cup and a European Championship.
“I still have plenty of time. I don't think I absolutely have to win the Champions League in two years, added.
Jorrel Hato of Ajax during the MD-1 press conference ahead of the match against Galatasaray at the Johan Cruijff ArenA on Jan. 29, 2025 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Jorrel Hato previously been linked with a move to Liverpool. (Image: ANP via Getty Images)
“In the Dutch league, you have to show how good you are against the big clubs. Ultimately, I have to continue to develop the things I am already good at, so that it becomes top.
“How do I describe my time at Ajax? Ajax is home for me. I just feel at home here.”
Another man who could soon be calling Amsterdam home is Liverpool’s Vitezslav Jaros. The Czech keeper has been linked with a move to Ajax since the Reds’ decision to sign youngster Armin Pecsi.
Reposting a previous article on X, Dutch journalist Tim van Duijn wrote: “Jaros' arrival at Ajax is a matter of time.”
Vitezslav Jaros of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre on April 09, 2025 in Kirkby, England.
Vitezslav Jaros has been third-choice Liverpool goalkeeper this season. (Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
He added the deal will be a loan move without an option to buy.
Previous reports from the Netherlands have indicated that the 23-year-old could challenge for a starting berth at Ajax, with new head coach John Heitinga impressed by the keeper during his time at Liverpool.
Jaros played twice this season, coming off the bench in a 1-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace, before playing the full 90 minutes in a 3-2 victory against Brighton & Hove Albion later that month.
It comes amid a summer of change in the goalkeeping department, with Pecsi already signed and Giorgi Mamardashvili set to join him at Anfield. Caoimhin Kelleher also left for Brentford last week in a deal worth up to £18 million ($24M).