‘Chelsea race Tottenham to sign Mohammed Kudus, bid below release clause will be accepted’
Chelsea are planning to rival Tottenham in the race to sign West Ham star Mohammed Kudus during the summer transfer window.
That is according to former Spurs and West Ham senior scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected at his former clubs, as he exclusively told Football Insider that the Blues have now set their sights on the 24-year-old.
This comes after Spurs have held talks with the forward, while there are two other sides involved in the race, of which Chelsea are one.
Brown told Football Insider in April that West Ham will accept offers for Kudus below his £80million release clause, as neither Spurs nor Chelsea are willing to meet it.
The Blues are determined to strengthen Enzo Maresca’s squad despite reaching agreements for the likes of Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens in recent weeks.
Maresca’s side are in a strong PSR position after a number of first-team sales in recent years and can spend freely without risk of breaching the rules.
Chelsea race Tottenham to agree Mohammed Kudus deal
Brown told Football Insider in May that Graham Potter is prepared to sell Kudus and is planning for life without the Ghana international.
The former scout, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, has insisted it is now unlikely that Kudus will remains at the London Stadium.
“It looks like Kudus will be leaving West Ham,” he told Football Insider.
“There’s been a lot of interest in him, but these clubs aren’t going to pay £80million for him.
“They’ll speak to West Ham to negotiate a lower fee, but I think it’s something they’re going to be open to because it will still be big money.
“I must be honest, I’ve got concerns about his consistency and he didn’t have the best season.
“But these clubs will know that and they’ll think they know how to get the best out of him.
“Chelsea are the latest ones who are looking to make a move, and Tottenham are speaking to him too.
“With Chelsea, it feels like they can spend endless amounts of money and are prepared to do so.
“They’ve agreed a deal for Joao Pedro and they’re going after Jamie Gittens too, but from what I hear they’re not going to stop there.
“Kudus has admirers at Stamford Bridge and they still want to bring in attacking reinforcements.
“So despite my concerns personally, these clubs are keen to bring him in and his talent is pretty obvious for everybody to see if they can get the best out of him.”
Newcastle United set sights on Noni Madueke deal
Incoming deals are not the only focus at Stamford Bridge this summer as they aim to open space in their squad via first-team player sales.
Brown told Football Insider on 1 July that Newcastle are interested in signing Noni Madueke, who could be allowed to leave Chelsea in the transfer window.
Eddie Howe’s side have been long-term admirers of Madueke after Football Insider revealed in August 2024 that Newcastle could sign Madueke for £30million.
However, they are unlikely to be alone in their efforts to sign the winger should he become available, with the likes of Tottenham and Aston Villa tracking the situation.
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