Chelsea hold Kudus swap deal talks as separate winger transfer bid considered

There have been loose discussions in the past few days between West Ham and Chelsea over Ghana international attacker Mohammed Kudus

West Ham have rebuffed the chance to sign multiple Chelsea players as part of a potential swap deal for Mohammed Kudus. The 24-year-old Hammers attacker has three separate release clauses written into his current contract at the London Stadium but they're only active for the first 10 days of July.

The buy-out clauses are set at £80million for European clubs, £85m for fellow Premier League sides and a whopping £120m for Saudi Pro League teams. Beyond that, West Ham are thought to be open to offers for the Ghana international, who is under contract until 2028 but the Irons do also have a 12-month extension option.

In the past few days, Graham Potter's side are understood to have snubbed the chance to trade Kudus in a multi-player package deal with Chelsea.

It's believed the West Ham hierarchy would, however, consider straight-cash proposals even though internally, Kudus is regarded as one of the club's best players.

West Ham have previously held an interest in the likes of defender Trevoh Chalobah, Borussia Dortmund loanee Carney Chukwuemeka, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Armando Broja but on this occasion, they were reluctant to negotiate.

Discussions did not go very far, though separate sources have claimed that Kudus has also been floated to other Premier League clubs in recent weeks. Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr have the player on their radar, though Liverpool's Luis Diaz is still considered their top target.

West Ham are not under any immediate pressure to sell in relation to Premier League PSR rules but they're keen to raise funds through player sales to bolster Potter's summer transfer budget.

Kudus, a £38m capture from Ajax in 2023, hit just five goals in 35 appearances in all competitions last season. Chelsea have historic interest and made contact with the Dutch giants to sign the versatile attacker in July 2023 before he eventually moved to east London.

But at this stage, the Blues are thought to be prioritising the arrival of a right-footed left-winger after paying a £5m penalty fee to send Jadon Sancho back to Manchester United.

Dortmund winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens is a name of strong interest and Chelsea are ready to test the water with an opening bid, though they do not feel an agreement is essential before the Club World Cup.

Chelsea have also considered moves for Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams and Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho, who is attracting interest from Bayer Leverkusen.