West Ham forward Mohammed Kudus now has a new agent, according to reports.
English tabloid The Sun have revealed that the Ghanaian international has decided to join ROOF, who also manage the affairs of several Liverpool players, including Reds captain Virgil van Dijk.
Kudus had been managed by a family member up until recently, but this change in representation may suggest he is keen to secure a move away from the London Stadium.
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The Sun has confirmed that both Chelsea and Arsenal have held “exploratory talks” with the Hammers but, so far, no formal bids have been lodged for the player.
Kudus’s asking price is making a sale difficult
It’s widely known that the 24-year-old has an £85m release clause in his contract, which is only active for the first 10 days of July. However, other sources have suggested that West Ham would be willing to offload him for £20m less than that figure.
Even so, no club has so far met the Irons’ demands. Tottenham were reportedly prepared to pay £50m, while Chelsea were hoping to sign Kudus as part of a swap deal, but neither proposal interested Graham Potter’s side.
West Ham need money to fund a squad revamp
Kudus is by far and away the club’s biggest asset and that has presented problems for head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay. The club need funds from the winger’s sale to finance bids for new signings.
However, they can’t afford to let the Ghanaian leave for a low price or it will limit what they can do in the transfer market for the rest of the summer.
The longer Kudus remains with the Hammers, though, the harder the job it is for Macaulay and Potter to secure the services of their top targets.
In other news, West Ham have slapped a £20m price tag on a centre-back