West Ham United’s second offer for Mohammed Kudus is turned down by Ajax.
West Ham United’s continuous pursuit of Mohammed Kudus, a forward for Ajax, has run into more difficulties as the Dutch club has rejected the London team’s second bid for the gifted Ghanaian player.
Under the direction of manager David Moyes, the Hammers have been aggressively looking to improve their attacking options and have been concentrating on acquiring Kudus for a number of weeks. Tim Steidten, the club’s technical director, even flew to Amsterdam to conduct direct talks.
Over the weekend, Ajax rejected West Ham’s initial offer of €40 million (£34 million), saying they wanted more money in exchange for performance-based rewards. Ajax, though, has also rejected the updated offer from West Ham. According to reports, the Dutch side is asking for a greater amount, closer to €50 million (£42.5 million), paving the way for further negotiations in search of a settlement.
Prior to West Ham’s offer, Brighton & Hove Albion had a deal with Ajax for Kudus that might have given them access to the Europa League. However, they were unable to reach a personal understanding, which resulted in a deadlock.
Other well-known Premier League clubs, such as Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea, have shown interest in Mohammed Kudus. Erik ten Hag, the former manager of Ajax, has expressed a desire to work with Kudus once more after having previously collaborated closely with the player during his time at the club.
Although West Ham is still interested in signing Kudus, no personal details have been worked out between the player and the London club. This allows interested parties to join the competition before the transfer window closes on September 1.
West Ham has huge financial resources with their successful sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal for a record £105 million.
With the signings of Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse, the team has already made some important additions. The pair made their London Stadium debut on Sunday during West Ham’s excellent 3-1 victory over Chelsea, with Ward-Prowse providing two key assists for Nayef Aguerd and Michail Antonio.