Amsterdam football club Ajax ended its 2009/2010 financial year with a loss of €21m, the premier division side said on Thursday. Definitive figures will be published in October.

The club booked a loss of €3.4m the previous year.
The club’s finances have been hit because it had no major income from transfers. ‘We said we wanted to keep the quality of the squad on an even keel and that has happened,’ financial director Jeroen Slop said in a statement. ‘The stronger the squad, the better the chance of success, and that brings growth in income.’
Ajax is the only Dutch football club to be listed on the stock exchange.