Insurance group Aegon has agreed to sponsor Amsterdam football club Ajax for a further six months, to give the club more time to sign a deal with a new shirt sponsor.

Aegon was due to end its sponsorship after the current season. The company signed a seven-year contract with Ajax in 2007, with an option to end the agreement after five years.

At the end of 2012, sponsor and club agreed to one more year of shirt sponsorship, giving Ajax time to find a replacement sponsor. The Financieele Dagblad said on Wednesday Ajax is close to a deal with Chinese phone company Huawei.

Aegon is to pay €3m for the final six months of its sponsorship. According to the FD, the Aegon-Ajax deal was the biggest in Dutch Eredivisie history at some €10m to €12m a year.