Ajax agree on Leo Salazar loan from Espanyol

The transfer window is still active around RCD Espanyol and, according to Mundo Deportivo, Ajax have taken advantage of the extra 24-hour period in the Netherlands to finalise a move for academy player Leo Salazar.

Loan deal with buy option

As the report explains, the Amsterdam club has reached an agreement with Espanyol to take the 19-year-old winger on loan, while also securing an option to buy at the end of the season.

Mundo Deportivo adds that Ajax—now led by Míchel Sánchez after his time at Girona—is looking to strengthen its squad with Espanyol’s youth talent. The remaining question is how Salazar will fit in at the club: the piece says it is still to be seen whether he joins Ajax’s first team or goes instead to the Ajax Under-21s, also coached by a Spanish manager.

The article also provides background on Salazar’s development. He has been in Espanyol’s “La 21” setup for nearly ten years, and over the last two seasons he was a regular in the reserve side, recording 43 matches and almost 1,700 minutes.

Where he plays will decide

So while the deal itself is in place, the key point for the coming weeks is his exact sporting destination and how much playing time he will get—either at senior level or with the U21s. The move also underlines that, despite the Spanish window already having closed, Espanyol is still working the market.

(The piece also mentions “Puado’s return” and references Carlos García, but the extract doesn’t include new deal specifics for them.)