Brighton close to signing Arsenal and Chelsea’s midfield target for £34.5m
By Evan Curnew
As The Top Flight had covered, Mohammed Kudus was seen as both a target for Chelsea and Arsenal this summer. Chelsea had even gone so far as to agree to personal terms with the Ghanaian. It seemed likely Ajax was going to sell the player, the midfielder, this summer, but then links went quiet for a while. Now, things are advancing quickly but not for Chelsea or Arsenal.
Brighton and Hove Albion on the brink of signing Mohammed Kudus
In what will be a big surprise to some, The Athletic is reporting that Brighton has won the race to sign Ajax’s Mohammed Kudus. Brighton’s bid of £34.5m has been accepted by Ajax, and now it is a matter of finalizing the details of the transfer. Should the bid go through, it will be a record transfer for Brighton, surpassing the fee they paid for Watford’s Joao Pedro earlier this summer. Ornstein of The Athletic states that personal terms between Brighton and Mohammed Kudus are nearly agreed to.
It had been speculated that Brighton was interested in Kudus earlier this transfer window, but none thought much of it. Brighton needs to be given their fair dues, though, as they are now the ones close to signing the Ajax star. Kudus scored 11 goals and recorded four assists last season in the Eredivisie. He also had four goals and two assists in six Champions League matches last season. Many will remember Kudus for scoring a brace against South Korea in the World Cup for Ghana in Qatar.
With Brighton playing Europa League football next season, it was imperative they located targets with an immense amount of talent. They have absolutely done that here with Kudus, as the 23-year-old is destined to do great things in the Premier League. Roberto De Zerbi, who reportedly pushed for the transfer, will be happy that this one looks to be over the line.