Chelsea’s double transfer boost as Mauricio Pochettino eyes Newcastle United upset

Chelsea has been encouraged in their pursuit of Ajax and Ghana midfielder Mohammed Kudus with reports that personal terms will not be an issue for the club.

Kudus joined Ajax in 2021 and has bagged 16 goals in more than 100 appearances and was the star of the Ghana team that played at the World Cup in Qatar. The midfielder is regarded highly by the team Chelsea board as they look to bring in midfielders following the exit of Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante.

The Blues have also been linked to Crystal Palace star Michael Olise as well as Rayan Cherki from Lyon-but it is Kudus that has been progressing smoothly in the last couple days.

Chelsea have shipped out almost 20 players already and are still open to selling the likes of Trevoh Chalobah and Conor Gallagher. Highest earner Romelu Lukaku is also on his way out as well as Hakim Ziyech who is back to Cobham as he awaits a transfer away.

The owners sunk almost £600million into the squad but that only yielded a disappointing 12th-placed finish which has led to a change in strategy as they look to return to challenging for titles next season.

In other news defender Reece James is expected to play his first pre-season has thrown his hat in the ring for the vacant captaincy at the club. James is regarded by many as one of the best full-backs in the world and says he’ll not feel out of place if he was handed the club’s highest leadership role on the field.

He said: “I think everyone has a different way of being a leader. Some speak and some show their actions on the field. I think I could do both. I’d like to think so [anyway].

“I try and help my team as much as I can. There are a lot of young players and I’ll be one to help them where I can.”

Chelsea will take on Newcastle United in Atalanta at 1:15 am Thursday morning British time.