West Ham finalising Mohammed Kudus signing after late-night talks – sources
West Ham are pushing ahead on Sunday with a deal to sign Ajax attacking midfielder Mohammed Kudus despite Man City pulling the plug on their Lucas Paqueta pursuit, sources have told Football Insider.
The Irons have held extensive talks with their Dutch counterparts, including on Saturday night, over a deal for the 23-year-old and have had an offer rejected.
However, West Ham have agreed personal terms with Kudus and are closing in on a full agreement as they look to negotiate the final structure of payments with Ajax.
Hammers technical director Tim Steidten has been in Amsterdam over the last week trying to complete a deal for the Ghana international.
Kudus is believed to be keen to move to the Premier League after previous moves fell through late on.
Kudus came close to a move to Serie A last week and has been on the radar of multiple leading English clubs this summer, including Chelsea and Brighton.
The Seagulls reportedly agreed a £35million fee for Kudus earlier this summer but failed to complete the signing after a dispute over the involvement of a release clause in his contract.
The Ajax star has got off to a brilliant start in the 2023/24 campaign, scoring in the opening weekend fixture against Heracles last weekend and assisting in a 2-2 draw with Excelsior on Saturday (19 August).
He has proven to be a reliable source of goals for the Dutch side after scoring 18 in 42 total appearances for Ajax last season.
Since signing for Ajax in 2020, Kudus has mostly been deployed on the right flank, but has also enjoyed spells in a central role under Erik ten Hag, Alfred Schreuder and now Maurice Steijn.
In other news, Flynn Downes undergoing Southampton medical tomorrow after West Ham deal agreed