Chelsea have agreed to pay an initial €40 million to sign defender Jorrel Hato from Ajax.
Jorrel Hato is set to travel to London for his medical in the coming days after Chelsea finalized a deal that includes substantial add-ons.
The 19-year-old Dutch defender, who can play as a left-back or centre-back, has over 100 first-team appearances for Ajax. He aligns with Chelsea’s strategy of securing young talent on long-term contracts.
Hato was omitted from Ajax’s squad for the Como Cup pre-season tournament on Sunday, signaling his imminent transfer. In 2023, he became Ajax’s youngest-ever captain at 17 and debuted for the Netherlands senior team shortly after.
Regarded as one of Europe’s top prospects, he played in the Netherlands Under-21 side that fell to England in the European Championship semi-finals in Slovakia last month.
Hato will be Chelsea’s seventh summer signing, following Liam Delap, João Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Estêvão, Dário Essugo, and Mamadou Sarr.
