‘Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal missed major discount in Jorrel Hato race’
Jorrel Hato is one of Europe’s most sought-after young talents but Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal have all already missed out on signing the defender in a cut-price deal.
The 19-year-old is a versatile defender, capable of playing at left-back and centre-back, although he is seen as a better central defender long-term.
Hato made his debut as a 16-year-old for Ajax in 2022, before making his international debut for the Netherlands in 2024, replacing Cody Gakpo in a 1-1 Nations League draw with Belgium.
Coming through one of Europe’s most esteemed academies, there has been plenty of interest from some of Europe’s giants in the defender.
Pete O’Rourke told Football Insider exclusively in March that Liverpool were interested in Hato, during a time when Virgil van Dijk’s future at Anfield was unclear.
But according to Duncan Castles, speaking on the Football Transfers podcast, the Reds and their Premier League rivals, Chelsea and Arsenal, missed out on getting the 19-year-old at a much-reduced price last year.
Liverpool in talks for Jorrel Hato after missing out on cheap deal
When asked by host Ronan Murphy about Hato’s future, Castles explained that Liverpool were in conversation with Hato over a move to the Premier League, and that Arsenal and Chelsea were both “seriously interested in him”.
But the Sunday Times journalist also revealed that “top European clubs missed an opportunity last summer”, given Ajax were in a difficult position financially last year.
However, with the Dutch giants back on their feet, Hato’s price will be “very high” this summer.
Castles said (19 June, 2.45mins): “There have been direct conversations between Liverpool and Hato over joining the Premier League champions this season.
“Those conversations have taken place with the knowledge of Ajax, who are open to selling the player.
“But, I’m told from the Ajax end that the pricing on the player is going to be very high this summer.
“I think basically the top European clubs missed an opportunity last summer when Ajax were struggling on the field, and financially.
“Hato could have been picked up on a far cheaper deal with a buy and loan back to Ajax, but nobody took on that opportunity.
“We now have a situation where Liverpool are looking at the player. Arsenal and Chelsea are also seriously interested in him.”
Liverpool should sign Jorrel Hato now or risk missing out entirely
Football Insider Verdict
Much of the talk of this current transfer window is centred around the dearth of world-class striker talents available.
But if there is one position that should be focused on, as evidenced by the last decade, is centre-back.
In comparison to other positions, there have been very few top-level centre-halves in recent history, and few who stay available on the market for very long.
Signing strikers is fun; they write headlines both positively and negatively, but as Liverpool, Arsenal, and Man City have shown in recent years, centre-backs change your fortunes.
With Ibrahima Konate’s contract expiring next year and Real Madrid threatening to sign the Frenchman on a free, the Reds should put all their eggs in the Hato basket.
Jarell Quansah looks to be on his way to Bayer Leverkusen, and with cash to play with, signing a natural Van Dijk replacement is an opportunity the club should not pass up on.
A young centre-back capable of moving across the backline to play wherever his manager needs him is a rarity, and the Dutchman will not be available for very long.