Ajax attacking midfielder Mohammed Kudus wants to join Arsenal over Chelsea this summer, according to Football Transfers.
Kudus has been linked with a move away from the Johan Cruyff Arena following his impressive displays for the Eredivisie side last season where he netted 18 goals and recorded seven assists in 53 games across all competitions for Ajax.
Chelsea have been strongly linked with a move for the Ghanaian international this summer with David Ornstein recently reporting that the Blues are in talks with Ajax over a possible deal.
Chelsea are overhauling their squad this summer and are in need of midfielders after letting the likes of Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic leave in recent weeks.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are also reportedly close to agreeing personal terms with Kudus so it appeared only a matter of time before Chelsea wrapped up a deal for the exciting attacking midfielder.
However, it seems Kudus may have his eye on joining one of Chelsea’s rivals instead. According to Football Transfers, although the Ajax star would be open to joining Chelsea, his ‘strong preference’ would be to join Arsenal.
Wants Arsenal
The report says playing in the Champions League is a main factor behind the players preference to join the Gunners and personal terms won’t be an issue if a deal could be agreed between the two clubs.
Arsenal finished second in the Premier League, securing Champions League qualification, while Chelsea missed out on Europe altogether after finishing 12th following a disastrous campaign.
Arsenal have also been linked with a move for Kudus this summer with the Daily Mail reporting recently that the Gunners are showing a keen interest in signing the attacking midfielder.
However, the newspaper says a deal would cost around £40m and the Gunners need to sell before they can buy having already spent over £200m on Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz.
If Chelsea act fast, they could get a deal in place before Arsenal are in a position to formalise their interest in Kudus. It would then be down to the player to decide whether he wants to wait for a move to the Emirates Stadium or opt to accept a switch to Stamford Bridge.
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