Chelsea handed fresh hope in renewed approach for 25-year-old Eredivisie star

Edson Alvarez open to leaving Ajax in the summer after Chelsea move collapsed the last time

Speaking to De Telegraaf (h/t Evening Standard), Ajax Amsterdam midfielder Edson Alvarez revealed his displeasure at missing out on a move to Chelsea last summer but is open to making a move now.

Chelsea were interested in signing the Mexican international last summer, but Ajax blocked the move. The Blues instead signed Denis Zakaria on a season-long loan from Juventus.

Since then, Chelsea broke the British transfer record to sign Enzo Fernandez on the deadline day of the January window. They are in the reckoning to sign either Declan Rice or Jude Bellingham in the coming summer too.

But, if the club are interested in Alvarez, he is ready to make the move at the end of the season. Here’s what the Mexican said (h/t Evening Standard):

“I grieved for one day and then showed that I am a strong person.

“Of course the disappointment lasted for a while, but I believe that everything happens for a reason. Maybe it wasn’t the right time yet.

“My time will come, one hundred percent. That is in God’s and my own hands. And I’m working hard to be ready for a new challenge.”

In recent weeks, Premier League sides Arsenal, Newcastle United and Liverpool have joined the race to sign the 25-year-old in the near future.

Alvarez is a defensive midfielder who can operate as a central midfielder or a central defender. He is technically very good on the ball, doesn’t have issues in aerial duels, reads the game well and is physically a strong presence in the middle of the park.

Having signed Fernandez in January, do Chelsea need another defensive midfielder in the squad? It probably depends on the future of N’Golo Kante. If the Frenchman extends his stay at the club, then they can look at bolstering other positions.

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However, if the World Cup winner leaves in the summer, then there is an opening in that department. Once that becomes a possibility, then a move to sign Alvarez could make sense. It is all ifs and buts at the moment. Let’s see what happens in the summer.