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West Ham have rejected a player-plus-cash deal from Chelsea for Mohammed Kudus, talkSPORT understands.
Chelsea were willing to offer the likes of Robert Sanchez and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in exchange for the Ghana international.
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Kudus has rejected interest from Saudi Arabia as he wants to stay in the Premier League.
The attacking midfielder joined the Hammers in 2023 from Ajax for £38million.
Kudus managed four goals and five assists for West Ham in 2024/25 and has 19 goals and ten assists overall in 80 games.
talkSPORT understands that West Ham are in the market for a new goalkeeper after Lukasz Fabianski’s departure and have held talks with Southampton’s Aaron Ramsdale.
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Chelsea, meanwhile, have already signed striker Liam Delap from Ipswich for £30m, while winger Jadon Sancho returned to Manchester United after the Blues failed to agree personal terms.
Kudus has been the subject of strong interest from the Saudi Pro League, with Al Nassr plotting an £85m swoop in early April.
That move didn’t come to fruition, though, with the 24-year-old’s contract possessing a series of release clauses.
Kudus is understood to have a £120m Saudi-specific release clause, and an £85m clause for Premier League clubs is now active.
However, the Hammers could well be tempted into a move after another disappointing season.
Starting the campaign under Julen Lopetegui they switched to former Chelsea man Graham Potter in January but didn’t see much of an improvement in results.
The east London club finished 14th in the Premier League, ten places below rivals Chelsea who secured a Champions League return.
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The Blues have been big and prolific spenders since Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly took over the club in 2022, breaking the world-record spend for summer and winter transfer windows.
Deals have even already been agreed for this summer, with 17-year-old Palmeiras phenomenon Estevao Willian set to arrive after agreeing a £29m switch last year.
However, not all the arrivals have been successful, and the ones that haven’t can certainly be used as makeweights.
Robert Sanchez and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall arguably both fit into that category following their arrivals from Brighton and Leicester respectively.
Dewsbury-Hall has made 29 appearances and just 16 starts since his £30m move last summer.
Sanchez, meanwhile, cost £20m in 2023, but was expected to be the Blues’ No.1, a role he’s instead shared with Filip Jorgensen this season.
On top of that, the club have now made an approach to replace him with AC Milan and France No.1 Mike Maignan.
