West Ham United star Mohammed Kudus is attracting interest from both Chelsea, who came close to signing him before he moved to east London, and Manchester City, who are looking to build on their recent success. Kudus excelled in his first season in the Premier League, scoring eight goals and assisting six times, after the Hammers secured his signature for a reported £38 million from Ajax.
According to Caughtoffside, Pep Guardiola has identified the Ghanaian as the ideal replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, who has recently admitted he is open to new opportunities. West Ham are reportedly keen on keeping the midfielder but might be tempted by a fee in the region of £100 million.
Last summer, Chelsea agreed on personal terms with Kudus, but failed to agree on a fee with Ajax, which then opened the door for West Ham to seal the deal. Liverpool, who are starting life under new manager Arne Slot, are also admirers of Kudus, who has interest from the Saudi Pro League as well.
Chelsea Transfer Plans
Chelsea have shown interest in many young players, having already confirmed the signing of Tosin Adarabioyo, who turned down a contract at Fulham to move to Stamford Bridge. Aston Villa youngster Omari Kellyman followed in a stunning £19 million deal, and they also added Marc Guiu and reunited Enzo Maresca with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Last season, the Blues moved from 11th on the league table to finish sixth, thinking they’d done enough to secure Europa League football. However, Manchester United‘s unexpected victory over Manchester City meant Chelsea had to settle for the Europa Conference League instead.