With Chelsea now the last club standing in the pursuit of **West Ham** winger [Mohammed Kudus](https://www.claretandhugh.info/mohammed-kudus-bio/), it hasn’t gone unnoticed that the West Londoners are about to sanction a £50 million [transfer](https://www.claretandhugh.info/west-ham-transfer-news/).
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are set to sign João Pedro from Brighton & Hove Albion. The deal has absolutely nothing to do with West Ham—but it does prove that Chelsea have both the funds and the willingness to spend big, when they truly want a player.
The same can be said for Manchester United, Arsenal, and Spurs—three clubs who were all previously linked with Kudus but have now seemingly decided to look elsewhere.
Maybe West Ham’s asking price is simply too high, or perhaps the lack of concrete interest is down to the winger’s patchy form last season. It’s entirely possible that clubs no longer see Kudus as a £65 million player.
Arsenal are said to prefer Ebere Eze, while Manchester United are focused on Bryan Mbeumo—and who could blame them? Both were massively more consistent than Kudus last season. That suggests the West Ham board may not have the prized asset they thought they did.
The bigger issue is that West Ham aren’t just failing to attract £65 million offers—they’re not getting any bids at all.
Kudus reportedly sees himself as a Champions League player, and the talent is certainly there. But the pool of clubs who can afford such a fee is small, and most of them are in the Premier League.
If top English clubs have decided they’re not interested, it’s unlikely big-money bids will come from overseas. That might mean Kudus has to reconsider his stance on a Saudi Pro League move—or knuckle down at the London Stadium and prove why he was once talked about as a £100 million footballer.