West Ham are believed to be close to finalising a deal for Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus. The 23 year old has been the subject of considerable Premier League interest this summer but it looks like David Moyes’ side may win the race for his signature. Here are the details of the likely Mohammed Kudus transfer fee that could take the Ghana international to East London.
Kudus had previously been linked with Brighton, but the latest developments suggest that West Ham will be his final destination. That’s despite reported interest from Arsenal and Chelsea in a player who showcased his huge potential throughout the 2022/23 season.
Kudus scored 11 goals and contributed 3 assists in the Eredivisie last term but it was his performances on the bigger stages that may really have convinced Premier League clubs to look at him seriously. Kudus’ 6 Champions League appearances saw him score 4 and assist 2 while he was also one of the standout young players at the 2022 World Cup with some eye-catching midfield displays for Ghana in Qatar where he scored twice.
Mohammed Kudus transfer fee
West Ham United are finalising details on a deal worth £38m for Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus 💰
Another Premier League club is thought to have come in late, but the player wants to go to West Ham ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/lSCtNcsMF6
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 24, 2023
£38m is the figure that West Ham are hoping will take Mohammed Kudus to the London Stadium. The Dutch club were believed to be holding out for £44m with Kudus’ former club FC Nordsjælland due to receive a significant 15% cut from any deal.
However it seems West Ham are now very close to finalising a deal with the exact terms of the transfer currently being ironed out with Ajax. As with most transfers, it’s likely to include several performance related add-ons so the initial fee could in fact be less than £38m for a player who has yet to play in one of Europe’s big five leagues.
Kudus initially moved to Danish side Nordsjaelland from his homeland in 2018 and after two seasons there, he transferred to Ajax for €9m in the summer of 2020. Nordsjaelland are now set to net at least €6m more assuming there are no late hitches that derail the 23 year old’s move to West Ham.
A good deal for West Ham?
West Ham supporters have largely endured a frustrating summer as the club struggled to get players in, following the £105m sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal. The Conference League holders were clearly reluctant to be pressured into overpaying for players despite being left in a difficult position in terms of squad depth heading into the new season.
However it’s now starting to feel like their patience has been rewarded with some smart business late in the window. James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez and Konstantinos Mavropanos have already arrived while Lucas Paqueta’s proposed move to Manchester City collapsed.
Adding Kudus to the pool of midfield and wide players they now have, would leave West Ham in a very strong position all of a sudden to attack the Europa League and improve on last season’s 14th place finish in the Premier League.
Should the deal go through, Kudus would immediately provide competition with Paqueta for the attacking midfield role, while he’s also likely to be used as a right winger at times where Jarrod Bowen is currently the most obvious pick.
The Ghanaian has also played as a striker at times and while he may not immediately go into the Premier League starting eleven, the Europa League group stage may be the setting for Kudus to make his first big contributions as a West Ham player. Given his previous success at Champions League level, he’s more than capable of rising to the challenge.
