Chelsea pulled out of talks to sign Mohammed Kudus due to strict demand put forward by him: Reports

Chelsea were reportedly interested in signing Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United this summer. However, the Blues decided not to pursue the Ghanaian forward after he demanded to play in a central position. According to Simon Phillips (via The Chelsea Chronicles), Enzo Maresca wanted Kudus to play on the right instead.

Cole Palmer currently fulfils the No.10 role at Stamford Bridge. The Englishman was also their highest scorer in the Premier League last season with 15 goals. More recently, Palmer's brace and an assist in the FIFA Club World Cup final helped the Blues record a memorable 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on June 13.

Understandably, Kudus was unlikely to get a guaranteed spot in Maresca's side in a central role at the expense of Palmer. The Hammers also preferred a straight cash deal for Kudus, despite attempts from the west Londoners to include some of their players to lower the price.

Eventually Chelsea side pulled away from the potential transfer, and the deal did not materialise. Kudus later joined the Blues' London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, for a reported fee of £55 million.

Kudus joined West Ham from Ajax in August 2023. Known for his creativity and flexibility, the 24-year-old played as a playmaker, a central forward and also as a winger for the Hammers. In 80 appearances for West Ham, he scored 19 goals and provided 13 assists.

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Former Premier League attacker heaps praise on Chelsea's Moises Caicedo

Former English attacker Darren Bent has lauded Moises Caicedo for his performance during the Blues' 3-0 win over PSG in the Club World Cup final. While claiming that the 23-year-old is a complete midfielder, Bent also lauded Caicedo for his passing.

The former Aston Villa forward told talkSPORT (via the Chelsea Chronicles):

"Caicedo in the middle of the park, he's got everything. His range of passing is scary, he breaks up play, and do you know what I like about him as well? He's a little bit nasty. He leaves his foot in, then he likes getting in players' faces as well. I quite like that."

The Ecuadorian midfielder put up a decent display against PSG, making three recoveries while maintaining a passing accuracy of 88 per cent. He also won four duels and made one recovery, as per FotMob.

The 23-year-old has solidified his place as a ball-winning midfielder in Enzo Maresca's side and has provided good performances consistently. Caicedo also won Chelsea's Player of the Year and Player's Player of the Year awards last season.

Edited by Nived Zenith