Chelsea are on the cusp of confirming Ajax star Jorrel Hato as their latest acquisition as he is preparing to undergo a medical after the Stamford Bridge recruitment department successfully reached an agreement with the Eredivisie heavyweights, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
It has been a busy 24 hours for the Blues, with attacking midfielder Joao Felix sealing a £43.7million move to Saudi Pro League big-spenders Al-Nassr after discovering that he will not be handed a route into head coach Enzo Maresca’s plans, but they have moved to secure another fresh face.
Chelsea have agreed a £35million deal to sign Hato, according to Romano, and he is preparing to pen a long-term contract after deciding that he was only interested in heading to Stamford Bridge if he departed from Dutch giants Ajax ahead of the transfer window slamming shut on September 1.
The central defender, who has been described as ‘world-class’, is poised to embark on a fresh challenge in west London after Maresca has been determined to secure further reinforcements in the aftermath of enjoying Club World Cup glory in the United States during the summer.
Romano has revealed that Chelsea are poised to book a medical and make travel arrangements for Hato, who has been on a contract worth close to £17,000-per-week, resulting in him being on course to join the likes of Jamie Gittens, Joao Pedro and Liam Delap in arriving in the capital.
It is understood that the 19-year-old Netherlands international will commit his future to the Blues until the summer of 2032 and is on course to be given permission to head to Stamford Bridge after gaining supervisory board approval, while personal terms have been in place for a prolonged period.
Hato has been eager to secure the green light to embark on a fresh challenge at Chelsea, Romano has suggested, and he was pinpointed as an ideal recruit by Maresca due to his ability to feature at the heart of the defence as well as on the left-hand side of the backline after shining in his homeland.
