Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Ajax star Jorrel Hato for a reported fee of just under £38 million.
Chelsea confirm Hato signingBlues finally recruit Ajax starTeenager joins for £38mFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
After weeks of negotiations, the Blues have announced the capture of the 19-year-old on a deal until 2032. And according to Fabrizio Romano, the Dutch international has pocketed Ajax €43m (£37.5m).
AdvertisementWHAT HATO SAID
He told Chelsea's website: "I’m very excited, I’m so happy to be here. 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 BIGGER PICTURE
The teenage defender is one of the Netherlands' most promising young talents, showcased by the fact that he became Ajax's third-youngest player to debut for the club in the Eredivisie at the age of 16 in 2022. Now, he will have an eye on securing a starting spot in Enzo Maresca's Chelsea side for next season.
IMAGOWHAT NEXT?
Chelsea added that Hato – who becomes the club's seventh first-team signing this summer after the arrivals of Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap, Dario Essugo, Mamadou Sarr, and Kendry Paez – will link up with his new team-mates in pre-season training this week.