 He was quickly deemed surplus to requirements by manager Rui Vitória, with the club acquiring Mile Svilar and Odisseas Vlachodimos in the following weeks; however, after the former went down with influenza and the latter was only due to arrive in January, he was made the starter again, notably receiving "Player of the match" accolades in a 0–0 away draw to FC Porto.On 26 January 2019, without a single competitive appearance, Varela was loaned to Dutch Eredivisie club AFC Ajax until the end of the season, with the option to buy.On 24 June, the move was extended for another year.