Journalist: Chelsea and the £40 million player Liverpool reportedly wanted are close to reaching a personal agreement.

Mohammed Kudus, an Ajax star who was reportedly a target for Liverpool earlier this summer, is close to moving to the Premier League, but not to join the Reds.

Chelsea and the 22-year-old star are reportedly close to reaching a £40 million deal, according to Ben Jacobs. The Ghanaian international has a contract with Ajax through 2025, but he turned down an additional year’s option back in April, putting a number of elite European clubs on high alert.

Kudus was regarded as a fallback option for Mason Mount in the event that the Reds were unable to sign the former Chelsea player, but it now appears that the deal is off the table for Jurgen Klopp’s team.

While Brighton and Hove Albion and Arsenal have expressed genuine interest in the attacking midfielder, the Blues are ahead of the pack in finalizing personal terms for him.

Kudus made 84 appearances for de Godenzonen before moving to Ajax from Nordsjlland in 2020. During that time, he registered 11 assists and 23 goals while tallying 23 goals.

At the 2022 World Cup, he also shone on the international stage, scoring two goals against South Korea to lead Ghana to a 3-2 victory. However, on this particular occasion, the Ghanaians were ultimately unable to escape the group.

It is believed that Chelsea would move more quickly to finalize a deal for Kudus if Conor Gallagher were to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.

Who would be left if not Kudus?

Liverpool is in desperate need of midfield reinforcements to go along with the addition of World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister because it is now looking very likely that Jordan Henderson and Fabinho will be leaving Anfield this summer.

Romeo Lavia of Southampton is a player to keep an eye on as he has been frequently linked to the team during preseason.

Even though Kudus’ ship may have already left port, Klopp still has plenty of time to find the right candidate during the transfer window.

More news…….

Chelsea told new wonderkid signing is the response to Todd Boehly’s Lionel Messi desire

Todd Boehly may have brought his own Lionel Messi to Chelsea with the signing of Angelo Gabriel who has been praised by ex-Arsenal striker Julio Baptista

Chelsea have already completed eight summer transfers and six of them can certainly be regarded as signings for the future. Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson are the two new signings and Mauricio Pochettino is expected to include both in his first-team plans.

Angelo Gabriel, Diego Moreira, Alex Matos and Ishe Samuels-Smith are the remaining signings to play for the club this season, while Dujuan Richards and Kendry Paez will officially join in 2024 and 2025 respectively. This group joins the likes of Andrey Santos, David Datro Fofana, Gabriel Slonina and Cesare Casadei who are already at the club as the next generation of stars at Stamford Bridge

However, some of those could have an immediate impact on the senior team. Moreira, Santos and Casadei all started the friendly at Wrexham alongside Carney Chukwuemeka. Gabriel, who is the latest signing, also impressed with a delightfully inserted pass to Ben Chilwell who scored the fifth goal.

Last week, Chelsea completed the signing of the 18-year-old Santos in a deal worth £13m and he has already been placed in senior plans and it is now clear why.

The Brazilian prodigy possesses obvious skill with his crisp, sharp dribbling and left foot stick that draws comparisons to Lionel Messi. Todd Boehly has already tried unsuccessfully to lure Messi to Chelsea, but he could finally find an alternative answer who is also half the Argentine’s age.

Comments from former Arsenal striker Julio Baptista also show that Chelsea have a real gem on their hands. Speaking to Gambling Zone, he said: “Angelo Gabriel is an incredible player, for someone so young. He has a great left foot, but he can play over the front three and also the back 9.

“He’s a good runner, he has incredible ability, especially in dribbling, and I think it will work well at Chelsea because he’s so talented. When players move from Brazil to Europe, they need time to finish their game, but he’s an incredible talent.”