Todd Boehly 'advancing in talks' toward Chelsea completing £34.8m Arsenal transfer hijack

Chelsea transfer news: The Blues are edging closer to their ninth summer signing being a hijack completed on Arsenal to acquire Montpellier star Elye Wahi

Chelsea are getting closer to completing their second transfer hijack on Arsenal in the last six months following on from stealing Mykhailo Mudryk from right under the noses of their London rivals earlier this year.

The Gunners had put in all the ground work needed to make their move for Mudryk in the January transfer window, but Shakhtar Donetsk set their asking price and stood by it. Eventually, Chelsea approached the Ukrainian outfit with the money they wanted and thus signed Mudryk in a deal that could rise to £88million.

Chelsea's plan upon signing the 20-year-old, who, according to Foot Mercato could cost €40million (£34.8m), is to immediately loan him back to Ligue 1 at Strasbourg and progress is now being made in that deal. According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are advancing in talks to sign Wahi and want the deal closed quickly because of competition from other European clubs.

However, FootMercato also note, the youngster has made clear that if he does join Chelsea, he won't want a loan move to their sister club Strasbourg. Therefore, Chelsea may have to adjust their plan to sign the striker, who from 33 Ligue 1 games played last season, scored 19 goals and grabbed six assists.

According to The Athletic, Chelsea have contacted Ajax to register their interest in signing the 22-year-old this summer. A departure ahead of the 2023/24 campaign appears likely for Kudus after he rejected Ajax's one-year extension offer that would have seen his current deal expire in 2026, with his agent hinting at his current transfer stance earlier this year.

As quoted by