Leonardo relishing ‘ambitious’ Ajax project after sealing move from Al-Hilal

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Marcos Leonardo is excited by the “ambitious” project at Ajax following his move from Al-Hilal.

Ajax are said to have been interested in the Brazilian’s signature for a long time, and secured a move for him worth “just under €20m”.

Leonardo became the fifth-most expensive player in Ajax’s history after penning a five-year deal through to June 2031 with the Eredivisie side.

The 36-time Eredivisie champions are coming off the back of their worst league season since 1962, as they racked up just 55 points and secured a place in the Conference League.

But Leonardo is looking forward to the challenge ahead after leaving the Saudi Pro League record champions.

“It’s an ambitious project,” Leonardo said in his first interview with the club.

“I was very happy when I got the offer and the chance to come play for Ajax. More Brazilians have played here, and they were all happy at Ajax.

New in Amsterdam – Marcos Leonardo. pic.twitter.com/vUa4BIpAVH

— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) July 17, 2026

“Other top players have played here too, like Luis Suarez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic – they’re players I look up to and who have made it here.

“We will bring the fans a lot of joy and hopefully win the league. God willing, beautiful things are about to happen.”

Leonardo joined Al-Hilal from Benfica in 2024 and went on to make 82 appearances in all competitions, netting 48 goals.

Since he joined the club on 2 September 2024, no player has scored more goals than him, while he boasts a goal every 116 minutes, a rate only bettered by Aleksandar Mitrovic (112) and Karim Benzema (114.8).

Leonardo won the King’s Cup with Al-Hilal in 2025-26, though he had looked set to leave in February after a loan move was reportedly agreed with Atletico Madrid, though that fell through.

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