Chelsea close to agreeing personal terms with 22-year-old star linked to Manchester United: Reports

Chelsea are reportedly close to agreeing personal terms with Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus, who is also attracting interest from Manchester United.

Kudus, 22, is widely regarded as one of Europe's hottest prospects, judging by his performances with Ajax last season. He also showed flashes of his brilliance during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar with Ghana.

The attacking midfielder scored two goals during the competition in Qatar last year, with a spectacular brace against South Korea.

He also had a stellar UEFA Champions League group stage performance with Ajax as he bagged four goals in six appearances. Kudus ended the 2022-23 football campaign with a total of 18 goals and seven assists in 42 games across competitions.

As per Mail Sport, Kudus' blistering form has also caught the eyes of Manchester United and Arsenal. The latest club to now have indicated an interest in signing the Ghana international happens to be Chelsea.

The Blues are believed to be also close to reaching an agreement with Kudus, regarding personal terms, as revealed by journalist David Ornstein.

Chelsea are active in the ongoing summer transfer window. They could make do with a couple of signings, judging by the massive squad clearout they have undertaken so far. The likes of N'Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Christian Pulisic have all left the club this summer.

Kudus could possibly be among a few players who could be added to Mauricio Pochettino's squad before the window shuts.

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Mauricio Pochettino speaks on the need for Chelsea to trim down squad ahead of next season

The Blues have been very active this summer as regards player sales as they are currently overseeing a massive squad clearout, with 13 players leaving already.

Chelsea suffered from a largely bloated squad during the 2022-23 campaign, as they had up to 33 players battling out for starting positions.

Ahead of their preseason game against Brighton & Hove Albion, Pochettino has reiterated the need for the Blues to have a slimmer squad ahead of next season. As per 90min, he said:

"You need 23,24, max 25, keeper included. We don't need 30 to 35 players. We need to be right in how we choose profile and balance is most important. Sometimes you get the balance with less than more."

"It's not that you cannot manage, the problem is players who are not going to play, where will they get the motivation."

He added:

"It's not going to be easy for them first, we cannot ask them to be happy every day, we cannot blame the players, we have to be strong in our decisions."

Chelsea will face Brighton at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on July 22.