Martin Jol's proposed move to Fulham has encountered a problem, with Ajax refusing to negotiate with the London club over the manager's release. Alistair Mackintosh, Fulham's chief executive, is in Amsterdam seeking to close the deal but, at present, he has been left frustrated by the Dutch club's stance.

Fulham remain hopeful that they will be able to name Jol as the successor to Roy Hodgson, who has left to manage Liverpool, because Jol has told them that he wants to join them. They have also been satisfied that the Dutchman has told Ajax it is his intention to move to Craven Cottage. Mohamed Al Fayed, the Fulham chairman, is driving the deal and he remains determined to get his man.

Ajax, however, do not want to lose Jol, who led them to second place in last season's Eredivisie and success in the Dutch Cup, and have dug in their heels. Ajax have recorded losses of €20m (£16.9m) and, to Jol's disgust, they have released the striker Marko Pantelic and midfielder Dennis Rommedahl this summer in the first phase of a cost-cutting scheme. They are set to sell the full-back Gregory van der Wiel to Bayern Munich while the striker Luis Suárez could also be moved on.

Jol has expressed his frustration at being asked to win the Dutch title with one hand metaphorically tied behind his back but Ajax hope that they can force him to stay and pacify him with concessions over transfer targets and funds.