West Ham star Mohammed Kudus has reportedly rejected any potential transfer approach from Chelsea and has given the green light to join Tottenham instead. Both London clubs had been interested in the Ghanaian forward, along with Bayern Munich, but he is set to join Thomas Frank at his new club.
Kudus became a target for Tottenham after missing out on Bryan Mbeumo, who wants to join Manchester United despite the Red Devils and Brentford failing to agree on a fee. Joining Chelsea could have cleared a path for Noni Madueke to leave Stamford Bridge, with Arsenal interested, but Kudus only wants to join Spurs.
That's according to TBR Football, who claim that Kudus has turned down a late approach from Bayern after Jamal Musiala's injury at the Club World Cup sparked the Bundesliga champions into action.
However, he rejected their interest and only wants to join Spurs, despite a long-standing transfer feud between them and his current club, West Ham. No player has made that move in 14 years.
Spurs have made Kudus their prime target, fending off rival interest from Chelsea and Arsenal, as a deal could reportedly be completed at £60million as West Ham and Spurs remain locked in talks.
Frank's outfit have made three bids already, with the latest of £50m and £12.5m in add-ons rejected. The Hammers were said to be disappointed with the type of add-ons being offered.
On Monday, the 24-year-old returned to West Ham for the start of pre-season training. He is remaining respectful to his current club and is not planning to force a move, despite his preference clear that he wants to play Champions League football next season with Spurs.
Kudus has a release clause, which is active until Thursday, that means he can join Premier League clubs for £85m, European clubs for £80m and Saudi Arabian teams for £120m.
However, the expectation is that West Ham are ready to sell for below those figures.
According to the Guardian, West Ham's willingness to accept such offers is due to the desire to rebuild their squad without falling foul of the Premier League's Profit & Sustainability rules.
Graham Potter's side currently need to sell in order to buy and have identified the potential sale of Kudus as the best way to reinvest funds into the team.
Big earners such as Edson Alvarez, Nayef Aguerd and Niclas Fullkrug could all move on while any plan to receive a high fee for Lucas Paqueta have been complicated by the FA's investigation into alleged betting breaches, which the Brazilian midfielder has denied.
All signs point to Kudus leaving, if Spurs can break their unofficial transfer embargo with West Ham and agree upon a fee for the winger.
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