When Jorrel Hato rose through the ranks at Ajax, Erik ten Hag was the one everyone looked up to. But before the now 19-year-old left-back had the opportunity to play for the first team, “his idol” was already in place at Old Trafford.
Last summer, Manchester United were in contact with Ajax about Jorrel Hato, who had just helped turn around what was a crisis season for the Dutch giants. He chose to stay rather than be part of another tiring turnaround in Manchester.
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Arsenal were also ahead, but by then Jorrel Hato had already decided to stay and take back the throne of the Eredivisie together with Ajax. The answer was yes, maybe later.
Ajax, who finished in 5th place last season, now lead the Eredivisie by a clear margin.
Chelsea are keen to sign Ajax defender Jorrel Hato and it is now confirmed talks have started.
The Dutch international is ready for something bigger and has been heavily linked with a departure from Ajax for several months. There is significant interest from several top clubs in Europe, and Chelsea are ready to intensify their pursuit of his signature in the coming weeks.
Sky Sports report that Chelsea are working on signing the 19-year-old this summer, while Dutch newspaper Telegraaf goes further and claims that Enzo Maresca’s side have already started talks to sign him.
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Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool are known as admirers of Hato, with the former having a sustained interest in his services after an impressive breakthrough at senior level.
However, Chelsea are determined to win the battle for his signature as they want to strengthen the defensive options at Maresca’s disposal.
According to reports, Renato Veiga, Axel Disasi and Ben Chilwell are all to be sold by Chelsea, while Benoit Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah could also leave Stamford Bridge on permanent deals while the club chase Marc Guehi and Dean Huijsen.
Reports indicate that academy star Ishe Samuels-Smith could get a chance in the first team next season, but Chelsea are still hoping to bring Hato to west London as they look for a suitable competitor to Marc Cucurella at left-back.
Like Samuels-Smith, Hato can play as both a centre-back and a left-back, and he has already made a whopping 108 senior appearances for Ajax since making his debut in January 2023, when he was just 16 years old.
Hato still has three years left on his current contract with Ajax, although widespread reports suggest that he is expected to leave the Eredivisie giant this summer, as a number of Premier League clubs consider a potential deal.
The Dutchman has an estimated transfer value of €45 million, but according to reports, Ajax could demand over €50 million to approve a sale.
