Mohammed Kudus transfer talk set to rumble on as West Ham stance offers encouragement to rivals | OneFootball

Jarrod Bowen the only player West Ham would not consider selling this summer for the right price

Mohammed Kudus is one of those players whose name just seems perennially present in gossip columns and transfer rumour mills every time the window opens, forever being touted for a big move to the latest linked club.

He remains, though, at West Ham. For now.

Also worth noting is his status as the most high-profile active Ghanaian footballer and an icon for millions of fans right across Africa. His career success and trajectory matter hugely to a great many people.

But heightened speculation about Kudus's future over the past month is even less surprising given it has also become clear that West Ham consider only Jarrod Bowen, their captain, as strictly not for sale under any circumstances this summer.

The board are aware of Kudus’s hefty market value, given he is still 24, and would consider selling the player this summer if an opportunity arose to improve their financial wiggle-room.

Any sale of Mohammed Kudus would be a welcome financial boost to West Ham

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That explains why Chelsea were unexpectedly offered the chance to sign Kudus during the first summer transfer window earlier this month. No formal offer has yet been made for the versatile forward by any club, and there is a significant disparity between the respective valuations Chelsea and West Ham have for the player.

Kudus remains on their list of targets this summer, though talks between the clubs are not advanced at this stage, and he is also attracting reported interest from Arsenal and Tottenham. How much of that derives from West Ham or his representatives doing the leg work rather than clubs reaching out themselves is unclear, but the interest is there.

And it has also been reported that Manchester United considered a player-swap-plus-cash deal for Kudus which West Ham declined.

Much could be decided at the beginning of next month. He has a 10-day release clause which comes into effect on July 1 and runs until July 10. During that time, he can be bought out of his West Ham contract by European clubs for £80million, Premier League rivals for £85m or Saudi sides for £120m. That could be when interest in the forward intensifies even more.

His quick feet, injection of pace away from flummoxed opponents, and ruthless finishing were immediately unleashed on Premier League defences when Kudus joined West Ham from Ajax for £38million in August 2023, but this last season somewhat passed him by.

Like the club more broadly, there was a vacancy about how he played. Though he scored and assisted a handful of times each, for long periods he appeared isolated and uninvolved.

His employers doubtless took note — if not actively concerned by his drop-off in output from the previous season then certainly more willing to at least consider his sale, especially if that means alleviating the club from what is effectively a sell-to-buy policy.

If West Ham are banking on any player sale bumping up the coffers this summer, it is Kudus, who is believed to be keen on moving on, though he would not force through an exit.

Whether he and West Ham do part ways remains to be seen, but one thing is absolutely guaranteed. Those Kudus transfer rumours are not going away. They could rumble on and on all summer.