It’s been a busy summer for Chelsea, which is nothing new at Stamford Bridge.
They’ve welcomed Jamie Gittens, Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Estevao to the club in a mass refresh of their attacking options.
Now, they’re turning their attention to the defensive unit and have a young star in their crosshairs.
Chelsea in talks for European star fancied by Arsenal
Relations between Chelsea and Arsenal have been cordial in recent years, with Noni Madueke, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Raheem Sterling all trading west London to head to the north of the city in the last year.
But playing happy families won’t help the Gunners feel any less stung if Chelsea pull off this latest mooted deal.
According to Dutch outlet De Telegraaf, the Blues are making efforts to sign young Ajax defender Jorrel Hato.
The 19-year-old has been on the radar of Chelsea, Arsenal and Real Madrid for some time, after he became the Dutch giants’ youngest-ever captain in a game against Almere City in November 2023, taking the armband at just 17 years old.
Mikel Arteta’s side were closing in on an agreement a couple of years ago, but it never came to fruition, and they may now have to watch him link up with one of their closest rivals.
The Dutch newspaper went on to confirm that Ajax are looking for up to €60m to close the deal, despite previous reports stating only €40m was needed. The Blues are also yet to conclude personal terms with Hato’s entourage.
In FourFourTwo’s view, it always hurts to see a promising star your club was linked with rock up at your closest rivals.
But with Hato’s main positions being centre-back and left-back, his route to minutes no longer looks simple at the Emirates, with Gabriel, William Saliba, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Jurrien Timber now dominating in this area.
Similar is true of Chelsea and their ever-expanding squad, but it may come as some comfort to the Gunners that they may never have got to see as much of Hato as they would have liked in any case.
Hato is valued at €35m, according to Transfermarkt.
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