With six days left in the transfer window, Dutch giants Ajax are looking to replace top midfielder Mohammed Kudus after selling him to West Ham United.
That search could lead them stateside, with reports indicating that Ajax are interested in Atlanta United midfielder Thiago Almada.
Since joining the MLS in February 2022 for a league-record $16 million (inbound) transfer fee from Velez Sarsfield in his home nation, the 22-year-old Argentine has been a sensation.
Reports in Argentina say that a fee of around €15m (£12.8m, $16.1m) proposed by Ajax are very far off the mark.
The belief is that Atlanta will require a fee of around the MLS record of $29m (€26.8m, £23m) to get the deal done.
That record fee was paid to Atlanta by Newcastle United in the 2018/19 season for Paraguayan winger Miguel Almiron.
Almada has been masterful with the Five Stripes – bagging 16 goals and 17 assists in 54 appearances over the course of two seasons.
🚨 – Thiago Almada has already agreed personal terms with Ajax. [@MLSTransfers] pic.twitter.com/mgcOcnjw63
— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) August 25, 2023
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On the back of winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina – and becoming the first MLS player to achieve that accomplishment – Almada has eight goals and eleven assists in 22 matches this season.
That assist mark is good for second-best in MLS, just one behind New England’s Carlos Gil.
While nothing has been officially announced yet, Kudus’ move to East London is in the advanced stages.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the clubs have reached a verbal agreement on a deal for a total package of about €45m (£38.5m, $48.5m).
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