Ajax will not have to pay an exorbitant fee to secure striker Tolu Arokodare on a permanent transfer from Wolverhampton Wanderers, according to recent reports.
The Dutch club negotiated a non-mandatory purchase option when signing the Nigerian forward on loan in late July, FootballTransfers.com reported. The option stands at achttien miljoen euro and can rise to twintig miljoen euro through performance-related bonuses.
Ajax technical director Jordi Cruijff confirmed on Ziggo Sport program Rondo that the financial terms are already fully established. “Everything is already arranged. The salary as well,” Cruijff said, as reported by Ajax Showtime.
Arokodare has made a strong start in Amsterdam, scoring six Eredivisie goals so far. That form matched a club record previously set by Patrick Kluivert during the 1994-95 season by scoring in six of his first seven league starts, Ajax Showtime reported.
Wolverhampton Wanderers acquired Arokodare in the summer of 2025 for 26 million euro from KRC Genk, where he scored six goals in 38 appearances. The striker remains under contract at Molineux until mid-2029.
Following Wolves’ relegation at the end of the previous season, Arokodare’s annual salary was halved to 2,3 miljoen euro. Ajax currently covers the player’s full wages during the loan spell, according to Ajax Showtime.
If Ajax exercises the purchase clause in the summer of 2027, the English club will not break even on their initial investment. However, Cruijff indicated that the mechanics of the permanent transfer are straightforward.
Former Ajax player and ESPN pundit Kenneth Perez expressed skepticism regarding the forward’s broader play.
“If that falls away, if he accidentally doesn’t score, then you don’t have that much value left in him,” Perez said.
Perez questioned whether the physical striker brings enough value outside of his finishing, pointing to expected goals metrics that suggest his current scoring rate could normalize later in the campaign.
Arokodare addressed his future in Amsterdam as debate continues over his performances. “If a player wants to sign for a club, then he will sign for that club. At the right moment it will happen,” Arokodare said.
“It would be nice for everyone to see me sign now, but the most important thing is that I am here now, I play here, I feel happy here and I am scoring goals,” he added.
Ajax prepares for its upcoming league fixture at De Grolsch Veste against FC Twente, where Arokodare aims to extend his scoring run in the starting lineup. Voetbal International said that a goal from the start in Enschede would place the loanee alongside Kluivert’s historic milestone from the club’s 1994-95 European Cup-winning campaign.
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