As per David Ornstein of The Athletic, Mohammed Kudus is set to complete a €44.5m move from Ajax to West Ham United.
The deal will see the London club pay an initial €41.5m plus a €3m in add-ons, whilst the Dutch giants will maintain a 10 per cent sell-on clause on the player.
Furthermore, the Ghanaian international is now set to fly to London and complete his medical this Saturday, as he prepares to sign onto a five-year contract with the option of a further year with David Moyes’ side.
A product of the Right To Dream (RTD) academy in Ghana, alongside other graduates such as Southampton’s Kamaldeen Sulemana and Brighton’s Simon Adingra, Kudus signed for Ajax in July 2020 for €9m, joining from FC Nordsjælland-who are owned by RTD- after an impressive two seasons in the Danish Superliga as a teenager.
Since making the move to the Dutch Capital, the 23-year-old gone on to make 85 appearances in all competitions for the Ajax, 42 of which came in the most recent season, where he scored 15 goals and made 6 assists in the Champions league and Eredivisie combined.
In these performances, Kudus featured in a variety of positions, such as right-wing, attacking midfield, striker, or even as a false 9 and subsequently, attracted interest from several top clubs around Europe- catching the eye with his excellent dribbling and ball-striking ability. These traits were also displayed in what looks set to be his last game for Ajax on Thursday 24 August, where he scored a hat-trick in his side’s 4-1 victory over Ludogorets in a Europa League qualifier.
As for West Ham, this move would see them make their fourth signing this summer, as they reinvest the £105m they received for Declan Rice’s sale to Arsenal. From this reinvestment, defender Konstantinos Mavropanos has joined from Stuttgart for €25m, whilst midfielders James-Ward Prowse and Kudus’ recent Ajax teammate Edson Álvarez have also arrived at the London Stadium for around €75m combined.
Each of these signings may feature for The Hammers against Brighton at the Amex Stadium this Saturday, as they look to build upon their 3-1 win over London rivals Chelsea last weekend.
Travis Levison | Get Football
