‘Deal collapsed’ – Brighton set to miss out on landmark signing opening the door to Chelsea move
The Seagulls had reportedly agreed a fee for the Ghanaian international earlier this week and were given a 48-hour window to organise a contract for his arrival at the Amex Stadium.
However, an agreement could not be reached and said deadline has now passed, leaving many to believe the move is now off.
Reports suggest that the collapse of this deal does not mean Kudus will remain at Ajax, but does suggest his price tag is likely to increase for any other clubs looking to sign the 22-year-old.
Chelsea are now favourites to sign Kudus, having been reportedly monitoring the players situation for much of the summer.
Kudus joined Ajax from Danish side Nordsjælland in 2020 and has gone on to make 84 appearances for the famous Dutch club, scoring 23 goals.
He predominately operates from an attacking position, but can also play as a centre-forward and off the right-hand side.
It is unclear whether Brighton will pursue another target, having been linked with Manchester City’s Cole Palmer for a potential loan move, but no official offer has yet been made.
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Brighton signing ‘absolutely not worth’ money Seagulls paid for him – Cannot repeat ‘certain mistakes’
After a lot of talk that a transfer to Fulham could take place, it’s Brighton & Hove Albion and Roberto De Zerbi who ended up signing Igor from Fiorentina.
The deal was wrapped up fairly quickly once the Seagulls really put their mind to it, as they paid €17m to the Serie A side to get the Brazilian.
Considering the reluctance of their London counterparts to go anywhere near that figure, it was surprising to see Brighton splash the cash, and there are some, like Sky Italia journalist Massimo Marianella, who believe they overpaid.
Speaking to Firenze Viola about some of the work the Italian club have done on the transfer market, which is why the sale of Igor was brought up.
About the new Brighton player and the transfer that took him into De Zerbi’s arms, he said: “Personally, I am happy that Fiorentina sold him and I would like to say that, in my opinion, he is absolutely not worth the money that the club collected with his sale.
“I wish him a good run in the Premier League hoping for him that certain mistakes are not repeated, because I doubt that in a league like the English one, they can forgive him. Having said that, he’s a player that La Viola can easily do without.”
That’s not what Brighton fans will want to hear, and it will now be up to the player himself to prove Marianella and everyone else who thinks alike wrong.
