Ajax set to lose out on major money after denying £55m Chelsea move

As the summer transfer window reached its end, Chelsea realised that once again they were a central midfielder short.

They made a desperate attempt to sign Edson Alvarez, only to be rejected despite a huge offer of £55m. They went as far as to offer a deal that wouldn’t happen until January, giving the Dutch side time to replace their central midfielder. A £45m offer on that basis was rejected.

Chelsea made do – they loaned Denis Zakaria and then bought other players in January. But Ajax’s stubbornness hasn’t been rewarded.

A report from Holland today – repeated by Sport Witness – claims that they are now in talks with two German clubs about selling Alvarez there. But the quote is for just €40m now, with Alvarez desperate to leave and their leverage decreasing.

Given that they lost out on the title to PSV anyway, they may well be regretting their decisions now.