Chelsea sign former Arsenal transfer target | OneFootball

Jorrel Hato has officially joined Chelsea from Ajax and signed a long-term deal with the club, following previous links to Arsenal.

Photo via ChelseaFC.com

Chelsea have officially confirmed the signing of Jorrel Hato from Ajax, announcing that the defender has signed a long-term contract to 2032.

“I’m very excited, I’m so happy to be here,” Hato said. “I thought a lot about my future and wanted to take the next step in my career. Chelsea is the best place for me to do that so I’m very happy.”

The Blues are reportedly paying £35.5m plus add-ons of £3m for Hato, and Ajax also have a sell-on clause included in the deal.

Photo via ChelseaFC.com

Arsenal identified Hato as a target in January 2024. But that was when he was running down his contract, before he signed a new five-year deal with Ajax.

The Gunners were much less keen after that, though there were still rumours they could revive their interest this summer, given the need for defensive reinforcements. In the end, the club signed Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia for £13m instead.

Photo via ChelseaFC.com

Aside from Arsenal having already added a defender, the Gunners have also just generally spent a lot of money this summer. The current total is around £200m spread across six players after including add-ons.

If there’s any room left in the budget, it’s more likely Arsenal will want to use it on another attacking player, not a centre-back who can also play at left-back.

That left room for Chelsea to make an uncontested bid for the 19-year-old, and their move is now done.