Chelsea are closing in on the transfer of Dutch defender Jorrel Hato from Ajax this summer, according to Nicolo Schira.
Chelsea lack depth at left-back, with Marc Cucurella playing over 4500 minutes of football last season. Portuguese defender Renato Veiga appears to be out of favour, and he’s tipped for a possible departure this summer.
Youngster Ishé Samuels-Smith, who has been tipped to become Cucurella’s understudy this season, is also likely to depart this summer, with BlueCo’s sister club Strasbourg reportedly interested in signing him.
The Blues have now earmarked Hato to compete with the Spaniard, not just in the left-back position but also to become an option at left centre-back.
As per Schira, Chelsea are at the ‘final stage’ of completing the permanent transfer of the Netherlands international to the club this summer.
The Italian transfer journalist adds that the deal will be worth £43m, with the Dutchman ready to put pen to paper on a contract that runs until the summer of 2033.
With several options previously linked with a move to the club, it appears Enzo Maresca is set to land his preferred option, as the report claims that Hato has been the Italian manager’s ‘main target’ to bolster his left-back ranks this summer.
Depth
Hato racked up 111 senior appearances for Ajax and was captain of the team last season. He operated mainly at left-back throughout the 2024–25 campaign but also slotted in as a centre-half when required.
Capped six times by the Netherlands, he joined Ajax’s youth setup in 2018 after leaving Sparta Rotterdam and has been a regular in the first-team setup since debuting in January 2023.
Highly comfortable in possession, Hato is a technically adept defender who thrives in ball-dominant teams. He’s confident driving forward or picking out teammates with sharp passes. Notably, his 89% pass completion rate was second only to PSV’s Richy Ledezma among Eredivisie full-backs last season.
With a report from The Athletic revealing that Chelsea have already reached an agreement on personal terms with the Dutchman, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him holding up a Chelsea shirt in the coming days.
