Chelsea have reportedly decided to switch their focus onto Ajax wonderkid defender Jorrel Hato as an alternative to Riccardo Calafiori this summer.
The Blues are said to have internally discussed Hato multiple times in transfer meetings, and he’s also been tracked by the likes of Arsenal and Real Madrid, according to Team Talk.
With Arsenal making progress on Calafiori, it makes sense for Chelsea to look at a similar style of player, with Hato also capable of playing at either centre-back or left-back to a high standard.
The young Dutchman might not be easy to prise away from Ajax, even if the Eredivisie giants have a history of selling their best young players to Europe’s elite.
Fabrizio Romano has also told us that Hato was on Arsenal’s radar but that Ajax want to keep him for one more season, so it remains to be seen how realistic a deal this is for Chelsea.
Jorrel Hato in action for Ajax
Hato transfer: Could he end up at Chelsea over Arsenal?
Hato looks like a player with a big future in the game, and it makes sense that he fits the kind of profile that this Chelsea ownership tend to go for in the transfer market as they look to build a long-term project around some of the world’s best young talent.
It could be that Hato is better off waiting, however, for a more stable project like Arsenal, though of course it’s not clear if they’d come back in for him were they to be successful with the Calafiori deal.
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Still, Hato might feel he can do better than Chelsea, who are yet to really see the return for their significant investment in so many young players, while the frequent change of managers is surely not helping to create a settled environment at Stamford Bridge.
Real Madrid might be one to watch further down the line, if Team Talk are to be believed, and there’ll surely be plenty of other suitors for this exciting 18-year-old.
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