Chelsea confirm signing of Jorrel Hato from Ajax

Chelsea have completed the signing of Jorrel Hato from Ajax in a deal in excess of €40million plus a sell-on clause.

The Blues opened talks with Ajax over a move for the Netherlands international earlier this month.

Arsenal were linked with a move for Hato in January 2024, before he signed a new five-year contract with Ajax last summer.

Hato racked up 111 first-team appearances for Ajax and captained the side on several occasions.

He featured primarily as a left-back in 2024-25 but also played as a centre-back, showing his versatility.

Jorrel Hato joined Ajax’s academy in 2018 from Sparta Rotterdam, rising through the youth ranks to feature for the first team. He made his debut for the club in January 2023.

At the national team level, he has made six appearances for the Netherlands.

“It feels strange to leave everybody in Holland, of course, but for me it’s a new journey with new people in a new culture, a new team, new competitions,” said Hato.

“I was really thinking about my future and this is what I wanted. I think I will be a good fit for the way Chelsea are playing, so I was sure about taking my step to Chelsea.

“For sure it was a big decision. I played seven years at Ajax and for me it was home – the people, the players, the coaches, the culture. So it was not easy to leave, but my feeling was that at this moment I needed to make a step to the biggest club in the biggest competitions, and for me this was the right decision at the right time.”

Chelsea have been very active this summer, bringing in Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens, alongside the arrivals of players on pre-existing agreements including Estevao, Dario Essugo, Mamadou Sarr and Kendry Paez.