Renowned Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has credited Chelsea with an interest in West Ham United target Mohammed Kudus. According to the journalist, the Blues are looking for a player of his profile and could make a late bid to sign him from Ajax.
Ajax have rejected West Ham United’s bid
According to Romano, West Ham United tabled a €42 million ($45.48 million) bid for Ajax midfielder Kudus on Tuesday (August 22) but saw it turned down. Since the bid was bigger than what Ajax accepted from Brighton & Hove Albion, Kudus might have been behind the dismissal. Shedding light on the complicated transfer saga, Romano wrote for Caught Offside:
“Keep an eye as well on Mohammed Kudus – West Ham had a new bid rejected yesterday by Ajax. The bid was €42m, add-ons included, but Ajax said no. The strange thing is that this bid was bigger than the one they received from Brighton, which they accepted, so the deal was in place but didn’t happen because of the player.”
Furthermore, Romano claimed that Ajax are hopeful of seeing some bigger European clubs table massive offers for their prized midfielder.
He added:
“But also, Ajax feel that in the final days of the window, some very big club could enter the race and offer big money for Kudus.
“As for other clubs, let’s see what happens with Chelsea, who asked about Kudus in July. Keep an eye as well on Brighton to see if they try again, and Arsenal could also be one to watch because they called in June to ask about Kudus, but then they invested big money on the likes of Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice instead.”
Chelsea are on the lookout for a creative midfielder
As per the transfer guru, a creative player is a priority for Mauricio Pochettino’s side. They are interested in Lyon talent Bradley Barcola, but the player is supposedly eager to join Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain. If Barcola remains out of the Pensioners’ reach, it would not be surprising to splurge on Kudus in the closing days of the summer window.
Kudus, who thrives in an attacking midfield position, has played 86 games for Ajax since joining them in July 2020, scoring 24 times and providing 12 assists. The 23-year-old sees his contract expire in June 2025.
