West Ham have seen a second bid rejected for Mohammed Kudus; the Ajax winger is open to the move to the London Stadium; the bid is understood to be worth €42m (£35.4m); Konstantinos Mavropanos has joined the club while Lucas Paqueta's move to Manchester City is completely off
Friday 25 August 2023 23:05, UK
West Ham United are close to an agreement with Ajax over the signing of midfielder Mohammed Kudus.
The deal under discussion is worth an initial €41.5m (£35.4m) plus €3m (£2.56m) in performance related add-ons.
Personal terms over what is expected to be a five-year deal are not thought to be a problem. West Ham will have the option for a further 12 months if the deal goes through.
Sky Sports News understands that Kudus is open to the move to the London Stadium.
Ajax are reluctant to sell Kudus and rejected two of West Ham's offers for the midfielder. Kudus has started both Eredivisie matches for the Dutch club this season - scoring in the opening game and providing an assist in the second.
Kudus, a Ghana international that featured for his country at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, has entered the final two years of his contract.
Meanwhile, West Ham have opened talks with Sevilla over the signing of striker Youssef En-Nesyri.
There is no formal bid yet for the Morocco international, who has entered the final two years of his contract.
Sky Sports' Peter Smith:
"Mohammed Kudus' screamer for Ajax against Liverpool in the Champions League last season was an eye-catching moment. But the Ghana midfielder will be turning heads on a regular basis in the Premier League if his move to West Ham goes through.
"The 23-year-old is unquestionably a rising star and his powerful, direct play from midfield will quickly win him admirers in east London.
"He's not tall but he's fast and strong, with an ability to spin away from markers and drive forward. Kudus charges through tackles - and when he gets into the final third he loves a shot. They are traits which saw him rank among the top five for dribbles and score 11 times in the Eredivisie last season - and make him an exciting addition for David Moyes.
"But the West Ham manager will also be attracted to his versatility. Kudus can play defensive or attacking roles in central midfield and while he's most frequently been used on the right side by Ajax he has even played as a central forward at times.
"Wherever he lines up for West Ham, though, Kudus looks set to shine at the London Stadium."
West Ham have completed their deal for Greece defender Konstantinos Mavropanos.
The former Arsenal centre-back has moved to the London Stadium from Stuttgart on a £17m initial deal, with a further £2m in add-ons.
Mavropanos was at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon to watch West Ham's 3-1 win over Chelsea.
Manchester City's £80m move to sign Lucas Paqueta from West Ham is off amid an FA betting investigation into the midfielder.
An £80m deal had been agreed in principle before West Ham were informed last week that the Brazil international was the subject of an FA investigation into alleged betting breaches.
There was a very small chance last Friday morning that the transfer could still go ahead but there is now no prospect of that happening. Sources close to the deal hope Paqueta's move to City might still happen in January.
The 25-year-old is due to be interviewed by the FA as part of their investigation and he denies any wrongdoing.
The investigation started when a larger than usual number of bets were placed in Brazil on Paqueta receiving a yellow card in West Ham's home game against Aston Villa last March.
Paqueta was shown a yellow card by referee Chris Kavanagh in the 70th minute of the 1-1 draw for a challenge on John McGinn.
Who will be on the move in the final days of the transfer window before it closes at 11pm on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
