Chelsea are “close to agreeing personal terms” with Ajax attacking midfielder Mohammed Kudus over a move to Stamford Bridge, according to reliable reporter Ben Jacobs.
Is Mohammed Kudus leaving Ajax?
The Ghana international still has another two years remaining on his contract at the Johan Cruyff Arena, but after majorly impressing during his performances in last season’s Eredivisie, he’s been attracting some significant interest from the Premier League.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein has reported that the Blues have already “made contact” with the 22-year-old’s club to “express interest” in securing his services, and whilst no official bid has yet been made, the journalist claimed that talks between the two parties have taken place.
The Independent’s Miguel Delaney has since revealed that Mauricio Pochettino’s side are currently leading the race for the Ghana international over Arsenal, who also hold an interest, as a result of having a more convincing package on offer at this moment in time.
Ajax recently announced that the central talisman had been absent from training due to "medical reasons", though the more likely truth is that he's missing due to the off-field transfer situation amid attention from the two named suitors.
Are Chelsea signing Mohammed Kudus?
In his Daily Briefing column for CaughtOffside, Jacobs revealed that Chelsea and Kudus are edging ever nearer to the player giving the green-light on his side to complete the summer switch to SW6. He said:
“Chelsea have registered their interest in Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus and are even close to agreeing personal terms. But no offer has been placed yet. Kudus is one of a number of attacking midfield options, including Celta Vigo’s Gabri Veiga. He is appreciated because he can play centrally or out wide and scored 18 goals and got seven assists in all competitions last season. Kudus is under contract at Ajax until 2025 and is keen to leave. He has already rejected a one-year extension back in April."
“The Arsenal interest is genuine as well, although they won’t move prior to outgoings. They made contact a couple of weeks ago. Brighton are also in the race. Kudus is going to cost about £40m.”
Chelsea have already sold the likes of Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante this summer so they have plenty of space in their engine room, not to mention that Conor Gallagher has been heavily linked with a move to West Ham United, so should Kudus pen to paper, he could succeed the latter.
The Nima native, as stated above, posted an incredible 25 goal contributions in 42 appearances across all competitions last season and was also a threat even when the ball didn’t hit the back of the net, having ranked in the 99th percentile for most successful take-ons and the 96th percentile for attacking touches in the opposition’s penalty area.
Kudus’ ability to dribble past his marker and his desire to drive forward to create moments of magic have seen him hailed “aggressive” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, and there’s no doubt that this direct style of play would fit perfectly into what the manager is trying to achieve ahead of the start of the 2023/24 campaign.