According to respected journalist Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are pushing to sign Ajax centre-back Jorrel Hato and he remains a priority target for them.
The 18-year-old is one of the best young talents in European football and he recently committed his future to Ajax by signing a new contract until mid-2028. Despite this, Arsenal are hot on the trail of the youngster ahead of the summer.
Speaking in his Here We Go Podcast, Romano has revealed that the Gunners are pushing to sign the teenager and believe they are front-runners in the race to sign him.
He said: “Arsenal are also working on their future, they have many wonderkids in their academy but there is a player they’re after and he’s playing at Ajax, he’s a centre-back and it’s Jorrel Hato. Hato signed a new deal with Ajax a few months ago, Ajax are obviously more than happy with him and hoping to keep Hato at the club in the summer.”
“But Arsenal are still following him, they’ve tracked him multiple times. They believe he is a top, top centre back in terms of potential, so keep an eye on Arsenal. They are still pushing on Hato and they believe they are frontrunners in the race to sign him. Let’s see if they can make it happen this summer, or has to be in the future, but Hato remains one of the priority names on Arsenal’s list.”
Huge talent
Hato made his first-team debut as a 16-year-old last year and he has since become a mainstay at the Eredivisie giants. The wonderkid has gone from strength-to-strength and has been handed the captain’s armband on occasions for the maturity shown with his performances at such a tender age.
In the ongoing season, the young Dutchman has completed an impressive 74 passes per league game with a success rate of 93%. He has won 2.1 tackles, 5.4 duels per outing while making over 5 recoveries. He is primarily a left centre-back being left-footed, but has also played from the left-back role.
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta may see him as a strong competitor to Gabriel Magalhaes in central defence while Hato could also establish himself as the regular left-back. The big question mark is whether they can convince Ajax to part ways with him, considering he has just signed a new contract.
There is no release clause in the latest contract extension but Hato is valued at around £19m by Transfermarkt. However, with his age and huge potential, it may require a bigger transfer fee to test the resolve of Ajax this summer.
If Ajax were to keep him next season, Arsenal will no doubt continue to monitor the youngster with a view to a future transfer.
