Chelsea will create a transfer nightmare for Premier League rivals Tottenham by hijacking their move for Mohammed Kudus.
Kudus has shone in West Ham colours, notching five goals and four assists for the East Londoners last term.
But after the Hammers finished just 14th in the Premier League last season, the Ghana international is set for pastures new.
Amid their quest to sign a new right winger, Tottenham have unsuccessfully bid for Kudus this summer, but retain an interest in the 24-year-old.
Chelsea set to hand Tottenham transfer nightmare by bidding higher for Kudus
Thomas Frank must desperately add more quality to his Spurs ranks after the North London side qualified for the Champions League via their Europa League triumph despite their domestic woes.
Meanwhile, Kudus’ West Ham exploits suggest that he could be an ideal asset for Tottenham, while he boasts Champions League experience thanks to his Ajax spell.
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However, according to The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg via X on Saturday 5 July: “West Ham turned down a £50million proposal for Kudus from Spurs earlier this week but have not received any new offers since then.
“As reported earlier, they are expecting a bigger bid from Chelsea.”
If Tottenham miss out on Kudus’ signature, they will be in a concerning position in the transfer market, as fellow target Bryan Mbeumo is set to join Manchester United.
Meanwhile, the North Londoners had also set their sights on Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo before he signed a fresh long-term contract with the Cherries.
Spurs move would be better for Kudus than Chelsea switch
Football Insider verdict
If West Ham accept a higher bid for Kudus from Chelsea, Tottenham will have missed out on yet another transfer target, which would come as a major blow for new boss Frank.
Meanwhile, the Hammers man should hope that Spurs successfully land his signature rather than the Stamford Bridge outfit.
Even though both London rivals can offer Kudus Champions League football, Tottenham should be able to hand him more game time than the Blues.
Enzo Maresca has already been busy in the transfer market, while Chelsea have signed fellow winger Jamie Gittens, who will likely be a starter next season.
While the West Londoners are set to facilitate Noni Madueke’s exit, Kudus would still face competition in wide areas from the likes of Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku.
On the other hand, Tottenham’s previous advances for Mbeumo and Semenyo indicate how keen they are to add a new right winger to their starting lineup.