Jacob Steinberg and Will Unwin 

West Ham open to £60m Kudus offer from Tottenham to ease PSR pressure

Mohammed Kudus has an £85m release clause but West Ham may accept a lower bid in order to fund summer signings
  
  

Mohammed Kudus
Mohammed Kudus struggled last season after a promising debut season at West Ham. Photograph: Ryan Browne/Shutterstock

West Ham’s need to rebuild their squad without breaching the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability regulations could lead them to sell Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham if they offer enough for the attacker.

Spurs have identified Kudus as a key target and there is a feeling he will be available for less than his £85m release clause, which is applicable to Premier League sides for the first 10 days of July. There is no asking price but £60m could be enough to get a deal done.

West Ham are adamant they must sell to buy and have long known that selling Kudus is the best way to give their head coach, Graham Potter, funds to improve his ageing squad. They would prefer not to sell to Spurs given the enmity between the clubs but are willing to be pragmatic. Kudus would be the first West Ham player to join Spurs since Scott Parker in 2011.

West Ham will be at risk of falling foul of PSR if incomings are not offset by significant sales. They are keen to shift big earners such as Edson Álvarez, Nayef Aguerd and Niclas Füllkrug. Hopes of bringing in big money for Lucas Paquetá have been hindered by the Football Association’s investigation into alleged betting breaches by the Brazil midfielder, which he denies.

Potter is comfortable with the idea of selling Kudus because the Ghanaian is at his best on the right, the same position as West Ham’s captain and most important player, Jarrod Bowen. Kudus has also attracted interest from Chelsea, Newcastle and Manchester United. Chelsea like that the 24-year-old can play in three positions across the attack but they have already agreed deals for Jamie Gittens and João Pedro.

Kudus impressed after joining West Ham from Ajax for £37m two years ago. He shone in his first season but endured a difficult second campaign. He clashed with Julen Lopetegui before the Spaniard’s sacking in January and scored only four goals. West Ham admire Kudus’s talent but wonder whether he fits in Potter’s system.

Spurs have not been put off by Kudus getting sent off against them and receiving a five-match ban last season. Their new manager, Thomas Frank, is looking for attacking reinforcements and is likely to lose out to Manchester United in the race to sign his former player at Brentford, Bryan Mbeumo. Spurs are known to be looking at Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo and Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze, who is admired by Arsenal.

The former Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham is poised to become Besiktas’s record signing after the Turkish club agreed a €15m (£12.9m) deal to buy him from Roma. Abraham, who spent last season on loan at Milan, is to sign a four-year deal with Besiktas, where he will work under Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

Abraham spent four years in Italy after joining Roma from Chelsea, helping them win the Europa Conference League in 2022. Since sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2023, Abraham has struggled for form. He scored only three Serie A goals for Milan.

 

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