Former Ajax coach Erik ten Hag will not be returning to the club, the Telegraaf reported on Tuesday, following mounting speculation that he would be back.

Ajax sacked coach John Heitinga last week following the club’s poor performance in the Champions League this season. His contract had been due to run until June 2027.

But the Telegraaf said on Tuesday evening that Ten Hag, who recently held intensive talks with Ajax technical director Alex Kroes, would not be making a return.

Ten Hag, who led Ajax to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2019, is a free agent after being sacked by Bayer Leverkusen in August, just three matches into his reign. He has also been linked to the vacant manager’s job at English Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.

However, according to the Telegraaf, Ten Hag was interested in coming back to Amsterdam if Kroes remained in his job. But Kroes has made it clear he plans to leave Ajax as well.

The newspaper said Ten Hag would not comment by phone but that it is no secret he wants a strong technical director he can trust.

Mark Overmars, who worked with Ten Hag during several highly successful seasons, had also been approached to succeed Kroes but turned down the job and will stay at Royal Antwerp, the paper said.

According to the AD, Ten Hag does not see “sufficient basis for a successful working relationship” given so many jobs at Ajax are now uncertain.