Jorrel Hato will leave Ajax for Chelsea. According to the Algemeen Dagblad, The Athletic, and Voetbal International, the two clubs have reached an agreement on a transfer fee of at least 43 million euros. Chelsea and Ajax still need to confirm the transfer.
A seven-year contract awaits the nineteen-year-old Hato in London. According to English media, the defender only needs to pass a medical examination. The amount of 43 million euros may increase further through bonuses.
Hato debuted for Ajax’s first team in January 2023 at the age of sixteen. In November of that year, the then seventeen-year-old Hato debuted for the Dutch national team. He went down in the books as the second-youngest Orange player since 1931. Only Matthijs de Ligt was younger at his international debut.
After his debut, Hato grew into a permanent fixture for the Amsterdam team. In total, Hato played no fewer than 111 matches for Ajax. He has played six international matches for Orange so far.
Hato did not participate in Ajax’s practice matches. He was present at the open day in the Johan Cruijff ArenA on Wednesday.
Hato in top ten most expensive outgoing transfers
In the back, Hato can play both centrally and on the left. At Chelsea, he will therefore compete with Marc Cucurella (left back), Ben Chilwell (left back), Trevoh Chalobah (central defender), Levi Colwill (central defender), and Mamadou Sarr (central defender), among others.
With the move to Chelsea, Hato enters the top ten most expensive outgoing transfers from Ajax of all time. The record is held by Antony, who left for Manchester United in 2023 for no less than 95 million euros.
According to several media outlets, Ajax is already working on a possible successor to Hato. The Amsterdam team is said to have approached the Japanese player Ko Itakura, who is under contract with Borussia Mönchengladbach. The 28-year-old would like to move to Ajax, but is still waiting for an agreement between the two clubs.