-
News
- 3 hours ago
Fabrizio Romano CONFIRMS Chelsea’s most important deal of the summer
Robin Bairner
- 1 Aug 2025 08:55 BST
- 3 min read
News
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Chelsea will sign Jorrel Hato from Ajax, revealing key details of a move that has been in the works for several days.
Chelsea struck a deal worth an estimated €43 million with the Amsterdam club for Ajax on Thursday and are pushing this transfer to come to a swift conclusion.
Romano says that Hato will begin his medical appointments with the Stamford Bridge side on Friday.
Current ETV
Jorrel Hato
D (L)
Ajax
Jorrel Hato
D (L)
Ajax
ETV Range
€41.6M - €50.8M
Taking to X, the football transfer news expert said: “Understand Jorrel Hato starts his medical as new Chelsea player later today.
“Documents completed by Chelsea and Ajax, player undergoing medical then set to sign contract valid until June 2032.
“Deal done, confirmed.”
Why the Hato deal matters
Hato will become Chelsea’s ninth signing of the summer, tipping their expenditure for the window to close to €300m.
While the 19-year-old Netherlands international is comparatively unheralded, he has the potential to be the most important that Enzo Maresca’s side make.
According to data analytics firm SciSports, Hato has the potential to become one of the best defenders in the game, whether employed as a centre-back or a left-back. Indeed, only Barcelona wonderkid Pau Cubarsi and Arsenal’s William Saliba have a higher ceiling than him when it comes to centre-backs.
Most promising centre-backs in football (SciSports)
| Name | Current Ability | Potential Ability |
| Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona) | 92.4 | 160.8 |
| William Saliba (Arsenal) | 129.3 | 147.9 |
| Jorrel Hato (Ajax) | 67.6 | 141.7 |
| Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta) | 109.1 | 139.5 |
| Levi Colwill (Chelsea) | 107.0 | 132.8 |
Chelsea are also signing him at an excellent price. While Ajax wanted a fee of €60m, the Blues have got him for a fraction of that, even undercutting the player’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV), which sits at €46m.
Although the Amsterdam club retain a sell-on percentage, Hato has the potential to become a long-term fixture in the Chelsea team.
There is one catch, however. Getting regular game time in this packed Stamford Bridge squad promises to be difficult. There are fears that this could stunt his development and suggests that he may have been wiser to pick another club.
If Maresca can get it right in terms of giving Hato what he needs to thrive at Chelsea, though, this could be one of the smartest pieces of business since BlueCo’s takeover.
Football transfer news headlines today
DONE DEALS: Every official completed transfer around Europe today
Fabrizio Romano Transfer News: Man Utd GET SERIOUS, Arsenal BID, Simons HOLD UP
Garnacho’s Chelsea stance revealed as new Man Utd humiliation confirmed
Liverpool out to RUIN Man Utd’s Sesko plan: Record bid could change everything
The FootballTransfers app
Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.
The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:
