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West Ham’s need to rebuild their squad without breaching the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability regulations could lead them to sell Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham if their London rivals offer enough for the attacker.
Spurs have identified Kudus as a key target and there is a feeling that he will be available for less than his £85m release clause, which is applicable to Premier League sides for the first 10 days of July. There is no asking price but there is a sense that £60m could be enough to get a deal done.
Sources inside West Ham and who know the club well say money is extremely tight. West Ham are adamant that they must sell to buy and have long known that selling Kudus is the best way to give their head coach, Graham Potter, funds to improve his ageing squad. They would prefer not to sell to Spurs given the enmity between the clubs but are willing to be pragmatic. Kudus would be the first West Ham player to join Spurs since Scott Parker in 2011.
It is understood that West Ham will be at risk of falling foul of PSR if incomings are not offset by significant sales. They are keen to shift big earners such as Edson Álvarez, Nayef Aguerd and Niclas Füllkrug. Hopes of bringing in big money for Lucas Paquetá have been dashed by the Football Association’s investigation into alleged betting breaches by the Brazil midfielder, which he denies.
Potter is comfortable with the idea of selling Kudus because the Ghanaian struggled last season and is at his best on the right – the same position as West Ham’s captain and most important player, Jarrod Bowen. Kudus has also attracted interest from Chelsea, Newcastle and Manchester United. Chelsea like that the 24-year-old can play in three positions across the attack but it remains to be seen whether they sign another forward after agreeing deals for Jamie Gittens and João Pedro.
Kudus impressed after joining West Ham from Ajax for £37m two years ago. He shone in his first season but endured a difficult second campaign. He clashed with Julen Lopetegui before the Spaniard’s sacking in January and scored only four goals. West Ham admire Kudus’s talent but wonder whether he fits in Potter’s system and believe a sale will help their rebuild.
Spurs have not been put off by Kudus getting sent off against them and receiving a five-match ban last season. Their new manager, Thomas Frank, is looking for attacking reinforcements and is likely to lose out to Manchester United in the race to sign his former player at Brentford, Bryan Mbeumo. Spurs are known to be looking at Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo and Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze, who is also admired by Arsenal.
The former Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham is poised to become Besiktas’s record signing after the Turkish club agreed a €15m (£12.9m) deal to buy him from Roma. Abraham, who spent last season on loan at Milan, is to sign a four-year deal with Besiktas, where he will work under Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
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Abraham spent four years in Italy after joining Roma from Chelsea, helping them win the Europa Conference League in 2022. Since sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2023, Abraham has struggled for form. He scored only three Serie A goals for Milan.
