English Premier League side West Ham United are reportedly preparing an improved offer to acquire the services of Ajax attacker Mohammed Kudus, who has already agreed personal terms with the Premier League outfit.
According to a report by Football Insider, West Ham United are set to improve their offer for Ajax attacking midfielder Mohammed Kudus as they look to “get a deal over the line” in the coming days – having had an initial bid worth £40 million rejected last week.
The Hammers have intensified their pursuit of the 23-year-old after finalising the transfers of Edson Alvarez from Ajax and James Ward-Prowse from Southampton earlier this month. They also look set to announce the signing of Greek defender Konstantinos Mavropanos after the Harry Maguire deal collapsed.
Mavropanos is set to cost the Irons £17 million, taking the total spending to around £82 million, and the East Londoners are keen to do more business before the September 1 deadline, with Kudus understood to be one of their top targets to reinforce the attack.
West Ham have already made an offer to Ajax for the Ghana international. But it was rejected by the Dutch giants on Friday night as the bid was deemed well below their asking price. The report suggests the Eredivisie giants are holding out for £44 million for the attacking midfielder, who has racked up two goal contributions in as many appearances at the start of the new campaign.
It appears that Ajax have increased Kudus’s price tag as the development has come just a matter of weeks after Brighton & Hove Albion reached an agreement in principle for £34.5 million.
Despite the Seagulls closing in on a deal, the Ghana international has remained at the Johan Cruyff Arena after the deal broke down due to a dispute over the involvement of a release clause in his contract.
The shift in goalposts regarding the asking price has so far proved a sticking point in negotiations between West Ham and Ajax. The player himself, though, is said to be looking to leave Ajax in search of a fresh adventure, and has already given the green light to a move to the London Stadium.
The former Nordsjaelland wonderkid still has two years remaining on his contract at Ajax, and he allegedly turned down a one-year extension in April. So, Ajax are caught between a rock and a hard place; they must offload the player this summer itself to extract a premium price for their prized asset.
The Hammers’ technical director Tim Steidten is leading negotiations, and he is understood to have flown to Holland last Thursday to try and thrash out an agreement. The Londoners will now lodge an increased offer for Kudus “that will include increased add-ons payments” in order to bridge the value difference. And West Ham are “increasingly confident” of reaching a deal with Ajax.
With Kudus scoring 18 goals and provided six assists in 42 appearances for Ajax across all competitions last season while also shining at the 2022 World Cup for Ghana, signing someone of his pedigree would be a big coup for the Hammers. All eyes will now be on whether they can push the boat out to land the attacking phenom.
