Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Chelsea looking to hijack Tottenham Hotspur’s move for West Ham star

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Rohan Sengupta | Last updated Jul 1, 2025 2:13 PM ET

Tottenham are set to face competition from London rivals Chelsea for the signing of West Ham attacker Mohammed Kudus

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with several high-profile attackers this summer, such as Bryan Mbeumo and Eberechi Eze.

However, the Lilywhites look set to miss out on Bryan Mbeumo as he has his heart set on a move to Manchester United, while they have reportedly cooled their interest in Eberechi Eze. As a result, they are looking elsewhere to bolster their attacking department this summer amid the uncertain futures of Son Heung-min and Richarlison.

Reports from this week claims Spurs are looking to end their ‘transfer embargo’ with West Ham United by signing Mohammed Kudus. They have stepped up their interest in the 24-year-old, who has an £85 million release clause in his contract that is understood to run until July 10th.

Mohammed Kudus had an ordinary 2024/25 season, bagging only nine goal contributions as West Ham finished 14th in the Premier League. Yet, that hasn’t hampered his stock, with Tottenham keen to bring him across the capital to N17. But it would not be easy for Spurs to get a deal over the line.

This is because according to a report from The Daily Mail, Chelsea could attempt to hijack Tottenham’s move for Kudus. They could propose a swap to make a deal happen, even though the Hammers are not demanding the Ghana attacker’s release clause to be paid in full. An offer in the region of £60m could be enough to tempt the Irons into doing business.

Tottenham were understood to be frontrunners for the African star, but Chelsea’s entry in the mix means it could now be a battle between two London clubs to secure his signature. The Blues are on a spending spree as usual and remain on the cusp of signing Borussia Dortmund’s highly-rated talent Jamie Gittens and Brighton and Hove Albion forward Joao Pedro. Despite that, they want to sign another attacking player in Kudus.

This is not good news for Tottenham. Both Spurs and Chelsea will play in the Champions League, but the fact of the matter is the latter finished in the Premier League’s top four last season. In contrast, the Lilywhites finished 17th on the table and only managed to qualify for the Champions League via Europa League success.

As we have literally struggled to make new signings unlike several Premier League clubs, Tottenham simply cannot afford to miss out on Kudus to Chelsea. Them entering the race for the Ghanaian international is enough to ring warning bells for Daniel Levy, who now must accelerate the pursuit of the West Ham ace to enhance Thomas Frank’s squad.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

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