Chelsea have joined the race to sign Ajax star Mohammed Kudus who has also been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Brighton of late.
Mauricio Pochettino has been kept on his toes throughout the transfer window so far. Chelsea have added the likes of Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson while offloading over 13 players.
Signing a holding midfielder remains the priority for Chelsea in this window, although they are yet to agree a fee for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo.
While they continue to search the market, it now appears as if they are ready to make a move for Ajax attacking midfielder Kudus.
According to David Ornstein, Chelsea have already made contact with Ajax as the 22-year-old is a player they like the look of.
“Chelsea have made contact with Ajax to express interest in signing Mohammed Kudus,” Ornstein confirmed on Twitter.
“No offer yet but dialogue has taken place. 22yo attacking midfielder among options Chelsea considering + agreement close on personal terms.”
The 22-year-old had an eye-catching World Cup campaign for Ghana and he is coming off a noteworthy season with Ajax.
Kudus scored 11 league goals and provided three assists last season. He is capable of playing in a number of positions and would add some pace and trickery to Pochettino’s side.
He is under contract at Ajax until 2025 and he recently rejected a fresh contract offer from the club as he pushes for a move away.
Fabrizio Romano recently addressed Arsenal’s interest in the player, but insisted that they would first need to offload players before making a bid.
“Arsenal have had a busy summer and there’s now reported interest in Mohammed Kudus at Ajax. However, my understanding for now is that the priority for Arsenal at the moment is to offload and sell players.
“I think that’s pretty normal after the big spending on Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice. As previously reported, Thomas Partey is someone who has interest and who could leave if an important offer comes in, while Folarin Balogun is attracting interest from Inter Milan.
“After that we will see about more additions, but at the moment I’m told there’s no bid or concrete negotiation for Kudus. Brighton have always been interested in Kudus this summer and he remains on their list.”
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