Overview

• Chelsea held firm on a €41 million fee cap, prompting Ajax to settle for a total package of around €43–45 million.
• The 19-year-old defender has made over 100 first-team appearances for Ajax, captained the side at 17 and earned six senior Netherlands caps.
• Manager Enzo Maresca personally persuaded Hato to join Chelsea’s project despite interest from Arsenal and Liverpool.
• Ajax’s strained finances and academy-driven revenue model have accelerated the transfer’s final stages.
• The move would be Chelsea’s eighth signing of the summer and push their defensive spending since 2022 close to €400 million.