West Ham close to sealing £38million compromise deal for Ajax star Mohammed Kudus
The Hammers have seen two bids for the versatile attacked rejected by the Eredivisie giants.
However, it appears as though the east London side have made a breakthrough in talks for the 23-year-old.
A £38m compromise deal is on the verge of being agreed, with Kudus himself open to a move to West Ham.
Premier League rivals Brighton had agreed a £34.5million deal earlier in the summer but pulled out of the race.
Ajax have also set a £40million price-tag on Kudus but West Ham now look set to sign him for slightly less than that fee.
Should a move be finalised, the Ghanaian international will leave the Dutch capital after three seasons.
He has made 86 appearances across all competitions for Ajax, scoring 24 goals and assisting another 12.
Last season saw him produce his best numbers for the club thanks to his 18 goals and seven assists.
A move to West Ham would see him become their fourth signing of the summer after what was a slow start in terms of arrivals.
Kudus would reunite with his former Ajax co-star Edson Alvarez, the Hammers’ first newcomer.
James Ward-Prowse, who assisted twice on his debut in the 3-1 win over Chelsea, was the second star to seal a switch to east London.
Former Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos has been the most recent new arrival at the London Stadium after signing from Bundesliga side Stuttgart.
West Ham United feel that they are 90 per cent of the way there in their efforts to sign Mohammed Kudus after sending a new bid to Ajax, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Arsenal are set to inflate the price of Folarin Balogun to sell him to a Premier League side, with West Ham interested, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper reported on its website that West Ham, Chelsea and Tottenham have all made enquiries, but the £50million price tag will be raised for the interested Premier League sides as Arsenal are reluctant to strengthen rivals.
It was previously reported by Football Transfers [18 August] that West Ham bosses have informed David Moyes that a move for Balogun, at £50million, would be too expensive – and this was before the threat of another price hike.
Balogun now looks significantly more likely to move abroad after the recent news, with Monaco among the teams to have reportedly made contact with Arsenal after his excellent 19-goal season in Ligue 1 while on loan with Reims.
Previous reports suggest that Moyes had his heart set on a move for the USA international striker, but was left disappointed by the club’s decision that he would be too expensive to pursue.
The Hammers have been working hard on a swoop for Kudus and technical director Tim Steidten recently headed to Amsterdam to speak to Ajax.
A brick wall greeted West Ham’s first two offers though, with Ajax’s stance on selling Kudus having changed.
West Ham have continued to work on the swoop though and now, after sending a new bid to Ajax, are closing in.
It is suggested that West Ham believe that the deal is 90 per cent done.
West Ham’s new offer is a package worth around €45m, with a sell-on clause included in the agreement.
Kudus is keen to make the move to the London Stadium, but Ajax have been reluctant to sanction his departure.
Now West Ham can see the light at the end of the tunnel and are optimistic about taking Kudus to the Premier League this summer
The threats of another price hike coming out of Arsenal have emerged following strongly reported interest from Chelsea, who are keen on adding another striker to their squad to compete with Nicolas Jackson after Christopher Nkunku suffered an injury.
West Ham will instead have to turn their attention to other forward targets as they look to strengthen their own striker situation before the window closes on 1 September.
The Hammers have also been linked with Sevilla forward Youssef En-Nesyri, with their long-standing interest finally set to be made formal with an offer according to reports.
In other West Ham news, one new incoming could be decided by an outgoing player.
