Agent reveals Chelsea made panicked £51m bid for West Ham star but were rejected

Edson Alvarez, a midfielder for West Ham United, was rejected by Ajax despite Chelsea’s desperate attempt to recruit him for a huge amount, according to his agent.

Then manager Thomas Tuchel, who was essentially serving in the dual roles of sporting director and head coach, had been eager to add another midfield player before the 2022 summer transfer window closed.

Under their new ownership, Chelsea signed nine big players that summer, including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Wesley Fofana right before the transfer window closed.

They also put in a late bid for Alvarez, but Ajax wouldn’t allow him go even though they were willing to pay €60 million (£51 million), since they had already sold several other players like Ryan Gravenberch, Sebastien Haller, Lisandro Martinez, and Antony.

The 26-year-old relocated to east London a year later for a reported sum of £35 million, which was around £16 million less than Chelsea had offered.

Nathan van Kooperen, Alvarez’s agent, has now revealed how close the Mexican midfielder was to joining Stamford Bridge and criticized Ajax for turning down the offer at the time.

According to Van Kooperen, Chelsea was ready to go far, as he stated on ESPN’s Goedemorgen Eredivisie broadcast. They desired to bring him to Chelsea by whatever means possible.

However, Ajax was not ready to comply because they did not have a replacement ready. They considered it to be crucial to qualify for the Champions League football.

“Chelsea went up to €60 million,” he continued.

On how Alvarez responded when other Ajax players were permitted to leave but he wasn’t, Van Kooperen continued: ‘That made it extra difficult for Edson.

“He witnessed his friends depart from the team, and Chelsea [wanted] him], where he could become the most expensive Mexican football player in history right away.” It was challenging for him.

Alvarez was upset at the time, but he has since said that Chelsea, who are currently 11th in the Premier League and have had three managers since Tuchel was fired, may have been better off not signing him.

When asked if the unsuccessful move had crossed his thoughts, Alvarez responded, “At first, because it felt like a mental challenge,” to Voetbal International in 2018. However, since Ajax is also a large club, I flicked the switch once more later.

Additionally, I think that everything that occurs in life has a purpose. Given the numerous issues Chelsea is facing this season, for instance, perhaps things should have turned out that way. Despite its challenges, this season has also been instructive for me.