By Wayne Veysey

24th Aug, 2023 | 7:37am

Revealed: West Ham in Mohammed Kudus breakthrough after late drama

West Ham are close to a full agreement with Ajax over the signing of midfielder Mohammed Kudus after a breakthrough in talks, sources have told Football Insider.

The London club are confident of now completing the capture of the attacking midfielder, 23, following late-night discussions.

West Ham increased their offer for Kudus to £35.4 plus £2.5m of performance related add-ons.

With the two clubs now finessing the structure of payments, the player is on stand-by to head to London for a medical and to put the finishing touches to the transfer.

Kudus has already agreed personal terms with West Ham on a five-year contract with the option of a further year.

Hammers technical director Tim Steidten was in Amsterdam last week trying to complete a deal for the Ghana international.

Kudus has made it clear he is keen to move to the Premier League after previous moves fell through late on.

Kudus came close to signing for a Serie A club earlier this month and has been on the radar of multiple leading English clubs this summer, including Chelsea and Brighton. 

The Seagulls reportedly agreed a £35million fee for Kudus earlier this summer but failed to complete the signing after a dispute over the involvement of a release clause in his contract.

The Ajax star’s form in the new season has been unaffected by the off-pitch drama. He scored in the opening weekend fixture against Heracles last weekend and assisted in a 2-2 draw with Excelsior on Saturday (19 August).

Kudus has proven to be a reliable source of goals and assists for the Dutch side after scoring 18 in 42 total appearances for Ajax last season.

In other news, Fulham make concrete move to sign PL star after West Ham mega bid