Chelsea sign highly rated Ajax defender Hato

Chelsea person signed 19-year-old defender Jorrel Hato from Ajax, the nine announced connected Sunday.

Hato volition articulation the Premier League nine successful a woody worthy €46.5 cardinal ($53m) excluding bonuses, sources told ESPN NL. Chelsea said Hato signed a semipermanent woody that volition support with the nine until 2032 and volition articulation up with his caller teammates aboriginal this week.

"I'm precise excited, I'm truthful blessed to beryllium here," Hato said aft signing his deal. "I thought a batch astir my aboriginal and wanted to instrumentality the adjacent measurement successful my career. Chelsea is the champion spot for maine to bash that truthful I'm precise happy."

Despite his age, Hato has made much than 100 appearances for Ajax and six for the Netherlands. Hato, who became the youngest subordinate to skipper Ajax successful 2023 (17), tin play either astatine left-back oregon centre-back.

Hato, who had been courted by respective of Europe's biggest clubs, was linked with Arsenal past summertime and earlier this year, earlier the nine signed Valencia centre-back Cristhian Mosquera instead.

Ajax method manager Alex Kroes said the nonaccomplishment of Hato was a hard 1 for the Eredivisie club, but wished him good and thanked him for his work to the club.

"With the transportation of Jorrel, we suffer 1 of our pillars successful defense," Kroes said. "He is not lone a precise large endowment and a bully player, but helium besides has a precise bully quality and personality. We would person preferred to support him for astatine slightest different year, but we recognize that helium has present acceptable his sights connected this fantastic escapade that awaits him successful the Premier League.

"We wholeheartedly privation him this caller situation and are arrogant of what helium has done for Ajax and privation him each occurrence successful England."

Hato joined Ajax's academy from hometown nine Sparta Rotterdam successful 2018 and signed his archetypal nonrecreational declaration 4 years aboriginal astatine the property of 16.

Club World Cup champions Chelsea statesman the caller top-flight play connected Aug. 17 astatine location to London rivals Crystal Palace.

Information from PA Sport was utilized successful this story.