Chelsea ‘In the last phase’ to sign Ajax defender Jorrel Hato

Chelsea is in line with the transfer of the Dutch defender Jorrel Hato of Ajax this summer, according to Nicolo Schira.

Chelsea has no depth at Left-back, with Marc Cucurella playing more than 4500 minutes of football last season. Portuguese defender Renato Veiga seems to be out of favor and he was tipped for a possible departure this summer.

Jonger Ishé Samuels-Smith, who is tipped this season to become Cucurella’s Understudy, will probably also leave this summer, with BlueCo’s Sister Club Strasbourg reportedly interested in signing him.

The blues have now reserved Hato to compete with the Spaniard, not only in the left position, but also to become an option in the left center-back.

According to RefereeChelsea is located in the ‘final phase’ of completing the permanent transfer of Dutch International to the club this summer.

The Italian transfer journalist adds that the deal will be worth £ 43 million, whereby the Dutchman is ready to put pen on paper about a contract that runs until the summer of 2033.

With various options that have previously been linked to a switch to the club, it seems that Enzo Maresca will land his preferred option, because the report claims that Hato has been the ‘most important target’ of the Italian manager to strengthen his left back graze this summer.

Depth

Hato collected 111 senior performances for Ajax and was the captain of the team last season. He mainly operated on the left during the 2024-25 campaign, but also walked in like a center half when needed.

Six times covered by the Netherlands, he joined Ajax’s youth arrangement in 2018 after leaving Sparta Rotterdam and was established in the preparation of the first team since the debut in January 2023.

Hato is very comfortable in possession and is a technically skilled defender who thrives in ball-dominant teams. He is sure to drive ahead or to choose teammates with sharp steps. It was striking that his completion rate of 89% last season was second of PSV’s Richy Ledezma under Eredivisie Full-Backs.

With a report of Athletics From revealing that Chelsea has already reached an agreement on personal conditions with the Dutchman, it would not be surprising to see him hold a Chelsea shirt in the coming days.