Chelsea are hoping to bolster their defensive options this summer
Champions League hopefuls Chelsea have emerged as one the leading contenders to sign Dutch wonderkid Jorell Hato from Ajax during the summer transfer window.
The Blues have recorded their highest points tally of the Todd Boehly era so far and are aiming to assemble a team that can compete for the top prizes next season after briefly threatening to mount a title push at the start of the campaign.
Chelsea have scored 63 goals this term while their defensive record of only shipping 43 is the fourth best in the division, but there’s still a feeling inside the club that they need to bolster their centre back options due to Wesley Fofana’s poor injury record. Trevoh Chalobah started pre-season surplus to requirements but has impressed since returning early from his loan spell. Meanwhile, Levi Colwill has now made the centre back position his own after being moved to left-back at various points last season.
However, the remaining options of Axel Diasi (on loan at Aston Villa), Tosin Adariaboyo and Benoit Badiashile have struggled for first team football along with Renato Veiga, who has been moved out on loan to Juventus.
Chelsea are very keen to get a deal for Hato over the line to ensure the long-term stability of their defence, but it’s suspected that they’ll face stiff competition from newly crowned champions Liverpool - who are likely to be a force to be reckoned with once again next term.
Why Chelsea are interested in Jorrel Hato
Hato is a 19-year-old Dutch international who is making waves in the Eredevisie with Ajax. He has racked up 49 appearances this term, predominantly as a left-back and has contributed three goals and six assists. Hato is capable of playing both as a left-back and as a central defender and it is these multi-faceted qualities that make him so appealing to Enzo Maresca heading into next season, where squad depth will be paramount.
The six-time international is believed to be worth an estimated £40m and is someone blessed with great ability on the ball, composure in possession and excellent sprint speed as well as defensive awareness, which make him very suitable for Maresca’s possession-based style of play with an emphasis for playing the ball out from the back.
Chelsea are understood to have opened talks with Ajax officials over a potential transfer deal for Hato, with Caught Offside claiming he’s worth around £40m.
The bold swap deal Chelsea could look to strike with Ajax
Chelsea have a surplus of defenders at their disposal signed from previous regimes that don’t quite fit into Enzo Maresca’s system. One of those is Benoit Badiashile, who excluding the Europa Conference League, has played just nine times for Chelsea and just five times in the league.
The Frenchman arrived from Marseille with a strong reputation but has struggled to make the grade at Stamford Bridge due to a combination of injuries, form and managerial changes, with Maresca appearing to not quite rating Badiashile as highly as some of his predecessors such as Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino.
Badiashile won two caps for France during his time at AS Monaco and has hinted at a potential exit, via Hayters TV when he said after a Europa Conference win: “I don’t know if I will stay or not but I’m here at Chelsea so we will try to win and that’s it.”
With Disasi returning from his loan move along with Veiga - it appears that Badiashile could fall further down the pecking order meaning it would make sense for him to move on in the summer. This could lead to Chelsea putting forward an offer in the region of around £25m - £30m to try and get Hato on board while potentially smoothing the wheels of the deal by offering Ajax, Badiashile, who has a much greater chance of starting in the Dutch capital.
Badiashile is just one of a number of players expected to leave Stamford Bridge this summer, and another potential option that Chelsea could use in a swap deal to try and get Hato on board could well be Ben Chilwell after his struggles for game time at Crystal Palace.
Chilwell notably played alongside Jordan Henderson with England and could look to revive his career with a move to Amsterdam in similar fashion to the former Liverpool skipper after he was recently recalled into the England squad. The only stumbling block, however, in this suggestion could be both Chilwell and Badiashile’s wage demands which could fall above Ajax’s budget.
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