Jurrien Timber left Amsterdam for London in 2023, and Jorrel Hato could follow suit amid interest from Chelsea.
Timber and Hato were teammates at Ajax and got along very well with each other. Timber mentored Hato while he was at the Dutch club and could cross paths with him in the Premier League next season.
Chelsea are trying to recruit Hato in their bid to improve their defence and are actually using Timber’s name in their discussions with Ajax.
The 19-year-old is not the only Dutchman the Blues are targeting at the moment. Chelsea also have an interest in Xavi Simons of RB Leipzig.
Chelsea using Jurrien Timber’s move to Arsenal as reference for Jorrel Hato deal
Arsenal paid Ajax an initial £34m fee to sign Simons and Hato’s Netherlands teammate Timber, which Chelsea are not overlooking.
According to Fabrizio Romano, who has given an update on Chelsea’s pursuit of Hato on GiveMeSport, the Blues are using Timber’s move to Arsenal as a reference for the valuation of their defensive target.
With Arsenal paying £34m for Timber, Chelsea believe Hato should cost around the same. Both men are young and versatile defenders who have played for their country.
However, Ajax want more than that for Hato, says Romano, leaving Chelsea with a bit of negotiating to do.
The Blues do have cash, though, and are set to receive even more once Joao Felix officially joins Al-Nassr.
Jorrel Hato’s position on move to Chelsea
Hato wants to join Chelsea in a boost to the Blues. It is thought that Hato has already rejected offers from a couple of other Premier League clubs, showing his desire to join Enzo Maresca‘s side.
However, according to Romano, while Hato is keen to move to west London, he does not want to go to “war” with Ajax.
It means Chelsea cannot rely on Hato to force a move and will probably have to pay something closer to what Ajax want for their defender.
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