Man Utd hold key to ruining Chelsea’s plans after Kudus’ stance made clear

United had been ruled out of the race for the 22-year-old with Kudus’ £40million asking price deemed a step too far. However, a possible player-plus-cash swap deal with wantaway midfielder Donny van de Beek could be the key to ruining Chelsea’s transfer plans.

Van de Beek would surely be keen to return to the Johan Cruyff Arena, where he has played his best football, this summer and Ajax are exploring the possibility of bringing him back into the fold. But it appears United’s £20m valuation is proving to be a stumbling block for the Dutch outfit. 

Therefore, an agreement to send both their assets in opposite directions would benefit all parties involved. Dutch journalist Marcel van der Kraan told Sky Sports: “As soon as [Erik] ten Hag knocks on his door, Kudus will go”.

Ten Hag signed Kudus from Danish Superliga side FC Nordsjaelland back in 2020 for £7.7m and has always been very complimentary about the player.

Speaking after a 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in a club friendly back in August 2020, Ten Hag said of him: “He did very well, you can see the incredible potential that that boy has. We are going to have a lot of fun with that. It can be used in several positions and that multi-functionality can help us a lot this year.”

He added: “He’s great to watch. He is very active and dynamic and can play with very high intensity. When Kudus gets the ball, he often does something good with it. He was also good defensively.”

Kudus has made 84 appearances for Ajax in all competitions over his three seasons at the club, scoring 23 goals during this time. He is understood to have informed Ajax that he wishes to leave this summer and is hoping to secure a move to the Premier League ahead of next season.