Overview

• Chelsea and Ajax have reached a principle agreement for the transfer of 19-year-old Jorrel Hato for around £40 million, pending supervisory board approval.
• Hato has agreed to a seven-year contract and is set to travel to London imminently for a medical examination before finalizing the move.
• The versatile Dutch defender, who has made 111 senior appearances for Ajax and earned six senior Netherlands caps since his debut at 16, can play at both centre-back and left-back.
• This signing marks Chelsea’s eighth addition of the summer and pushes their defensive spending since 2022 past €400 million as they aim to strengthen Maresca’s back line.
• Negotiations saw Chelsea maintain a firm opening bid of around €41 million, as Ajax faced budgetary pressures and lowered their valuation to the agreed figure.