Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Mohammed Kudus to north London in the January transfer window.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who revealed in a recent article for CaughtOffside that, despite being “one step away” from signing the Ajax forward in the summer, Everton are now “no longer the favourites” for the 22-year-old’s signature, with the Ghana international believed to be “exploring more options” following his remarkable start to the season.
This is sure to have come as a huge boost to Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici, with the Italian duo also reported to be keen on a move for the youngster this winter – with the Eredivisie side believed to be demanding a figure in the region of £40m in order to part with the attacking midfielder in January.
Regarding the interest in Kudus, the Italian transfer insider said: “Everton were one step away from signing him in August, then the deal collapsed as Ajax didn’t want to sell also him after Antony, Lisandro [Martínez], [Ryan] Gravenberch and more. Everton are no longer the favourites, he’s also exploring more options.”
“Star boy”
Considering just how impressive Kudus has been for both club and country so far this season, it is easy to see why Conte would be keen on a deal to bring the 22-year-old to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the January transfer window.
Indeed, over his 14 Eredivisie fixtures in the current campaign – only five of which have come as starts – the £13m-rated talent has been in astonishing form, scoring four goals, as well as taking an average of 1.8 shots, making 0.4 key passes and completing 1.6 dribbles – at a success rate of 70% – per game.
These returns have seen the “star boy” – in the words of Kwame Benaiah – average an extremely impressive Sofascore match rating of 6.90, currently ranking him as Ajax’s 13th-best performer in the Dutch top flight.
The versatile attacker also impressed over his six Champions League outings this term, with the £10k-per-week starlet bagging four goals and providing his teammates with two assists, in addition to taking an average of 1.3 shots, making 0.8 key passes and completing 1.8 dribbles – at a success rate of 79% – per game.
These metrics have seen the “really special” and “electric” – in the words of Jacek Kulig – youngster average a simply sensational Sofascore match rating of 7.22, ranking him as Alfred Schreuder’s second-best player in the competition.
Furthermore, Kudus also enjoyed a stellar World Cup campaign with Ghana, scoring two goals over his three appearances in Qatar, as well as taking an average of 2.7 shots – 1.3 of which hit the target – and completing 3.3 dribbles – the fourth-most in the competition – per match.
These returns saw the 22-year-old average a breathtaking Sofascore match rating of 7.70, not only ranking him as the Black Stars’ best performer in the tournament but also as the sixth-best player in the competition as a whole.
As such, with Kudus very much having exploded onto the scene this year, it would indeed appear an extremely wise move for Conte to do all he can to land the trickster this winter, as the 21-cap international would certainly look to be a really special signing for the 53-year-old to get over the line heading into the second half of the season.