Summary Chelsea have spoken to Mohammed Kudus' camp and have a good understanding of the conditions of the deal with Ajax. Kudus is highly sought after by both Chelsea and Arsenal due to his impressive performances last season, where he scored 11 goals and provided three assists in the Eredivisie. Kudus' underlying numbers highlight his exceptional abilities, placing him in the top percentile for non-penalty expected goals, pass-completion, successful take-ons, and more. Chelsea should make every effort to secure this deal.
Chelsea are "informed" on the situation of Mohammed Kudus after "speaking to the player's camp" and asking about the "conditions of the deal on Ajax's side", claims transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.
Is Mohammed Kudus joining Chelsea this summer?
It looks as if the Blues are now firmly turning their attention to incomings this summer after selling practically a full eleven of first-team quality players over the last month or so.
The arrival of Nicolas Jackson for £30m from La Liga outfit Villarreal has been the team's biggest deal thus far, as the arrival of Christopher Nkunku was agreed back in December.
That said, Mauricio Pochettino's side look like they have identified Ajax star Kudus as their next target this summer, and despite interest from cross-city rivals Arsenal, the Independent have reported that the Blues have put together a 'more convincing package' for the Amsterdam club.
The publication also reports that the Gunners' need to sell players first is helping the West Londoners get ahead in this deal, a deal that could be worth around £40m.
Chelsea have also spoken to Kudus' camp to understand what he wants, helping them get a sense of the whole situation, per Fabrizio Romano.
He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:
"Chelsea, in the last three days, had some contacts also on the player's side to ask about the conditions of the deal it means on the player's side, but they also ask it on the conditions of the deal on Ajax's side.
"So speaking to the player's camp (and) being informed about the whole package of the Kudus deal. So Chelsea are informed."
How good is Mohammed Kudus?
There is a reason why both Arsenal and Chelsea are interested in signing Kudus, and to put it simply, it's because he is very, very good.
Last season he averaged a seriously impressive match rating of 7.29 across his 30 Eredivisie appearances, scoring 11 goals, providing three assists and maintaining a passing accuracy of 87.6%, per WhoScored.
The 22-year-old dynamo has also demonstrated his ability to adapt to different positions on the pitch, spending time as a striker, rightwinger, attacking midfielder, and central midfielder in his last 50 games.
While his current goal and assist output is undoubtedly impressive for someone so young, his underlying numbers are arguably even more special and suggest that there's a lot more to come from the Ajax star.
According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position in what they consider the next best eight competitions, the 5 foot 9 "monster" sits in the top 1% for non-penalty expected goals, pass-completion and successful take-ons, the top 2% for non-penalty goals, the top 4% for touches in the oppositions penalty area, and the top 6% for total shots, all per 90.
His performances last season led to the then-temporary Ajax coach John Heitinga to wax lyrical about his ability, saying:
"He plays with a lot of confidence. We know he has exceptional qualities. It's up to me and the staff to make him even better, especially off the ball. On the ball, he can beat a man, create an overload, provide assists and score.
"I think that we can be happy that Kudus plays at Ajax."
Chelsea should be doing all they can to get this deal over the line as if Kudus can replicate even half of what he has done in Amsterdam, the Blues could find themselves back in the Champions League again in 2024.
