Femke Liefting Returns to Ajax on Loan from Chelsea

Ajax have turned to a familiar face to strengthen their goalkeeping ranks, bringing Femke Liefting back to the Azerion Vrouwen Eredivisie on loan from Chelsea for the 2026/27 season.

The deal, confirmed by the Dutch club on their official channels on Friday morning, offers the 21-year-old a reset and a return to the league where she first made her name.

A career that moved fast – then stalled

Liefting’s rise in Dutch football was sharp. She broke through at VV Alkmaar before moving across to neighbours AZ in 2023, where her performances quickly pushed her into the spotlight. Strong Eredivisie displays did not go unnoticed; Chelsea, then reigning Barclays Women’s Super League champions, moved decisively and signed her in January 2025.

That transfer looked like a launchpad. Instead, injuries dragged her momentum to a halt.

Foot and hip problems disrupted her first stretch in England, limiting her ability to challenge for minutes in a stacked Chelsea squad. A loan spell at Newcastle United last season finally gave her some playing time, but it was never quite enough to build the rhythm a young goalkeeper needs.

Now, she gets that chance in familiar surroundings.

Ajax bet on potential and pedigree

Ajax see an opportunity others might hesitate over. A young goalkeeper, already capped at youth level for the Netherlands, battle-tested by injuries, and educated inside one of Europe’s most demanding club environments.

“Femke is a talented goalkeeper who has already proven her quality in the Vrouwen Eredivisie,” said Ajax technical manager Dolf Roks. “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.”

For Liefting, the equation is simple: minutes. She needs regular starts, real pressure, real points on the line. Ajax can offer that platform in a league she knows, in a country where expectations around her potential have never really gone away.

Chelsea, for their part, keep control of her long-term future. Liefting remains under contract at Stamford Bridge until the summer of 2028, so this is no farewell, just a carefully chosen detour.

The next 12 months in Amsterdam will tell whether that detour becomes the making of her.