Chelsea 'agreement close' with third attacking ace after Nkunku and Jackson

Stuart Telford

• 22 Jul 2023 17:53 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea are closing on the signing of Ajax and Ghana star Mohammed Kudus, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein.

The Blues are set to have a completely new stable of attackers next season.

Kai Havertz has left for Arsenal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has joined Marseille on a free, and Romelu Lukaku will follow them out of the club if Juventus can fund his €42.5 million transfer.

READ: Arsenal to sell SIX players to fund Kudus transfer bid

In their stead have arrived Chistopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson, who have joined from RB Leipzig and Villarreal respectively, and Chelsea aren't done there, with Kudus the next transfer they are working on.

'Personal terms close'

"Chelsea have made contact with Ajax to express an interest in signing attacking midfielder Mohammed Kudus," Ornstein reports. "Kudus is among a number of options Chelsea are considering and an agreement with the Ghana international on personal terms is close."

A transfer fee for Kudus hasn't been outlined, but he has an ETV of €16.2m per FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, as well as two more years to run on his contract at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

READ: Brighton U-TURN on Chelsea's Caicedo transfer

A number of clubs, from Manchester United to Barcelona, have previously been credited with an interest in Kudus' services, which could drive his price up further.

Kudus is a versatile attacking midfielder who tends to line up on the right-hand side of the attack for Ajax whilst playing more centrally for Ghana. With him, Nkunku and Jackson on the books, Chelsea could have a fluid front three next season.

Having had the shadow of Financial Fair Play hanging over them, Chelsea now have money to spend having made more than €250m cashing in on eight players (of the 16 that have left), with Havertz fetching the most at €75m.

They would like to spend a similar amount on Brighton's Moises Caicedo, but Brighton are holding out for €100m for their Ecuadorean star.