Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has given a perfect verdict for Chelsea on their defensive target Jorrel Hato, an opinion that could influence the Blues decision in signing the Ajax left-back in their bid to reinforce the Club Wold Cup champions defence.
Chelsea have been active this summer, bolstering their attack with key signings including Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens, and Joao Pedro. The latter made an instant impact, scoring in the Club World Cup final win over Paris Saint-Germain last weekend.
Now, attention appears to be turning to the defence, with Softfootball understanding that Chelsea are considering a move for Hato. The 19-year-old Ajax star is highly coveted this summer, with Liverpool said to be keeping a close watch on his situation as well.
However, their attention currently appears to be focused elsewhere, as they continue their pursuit of a striker, namely Alexander Isak or Hugo Ekitike and this could give Chelsea a free run at one of the Netherlands’ most highly regarded young talents, who is held in particularly high esteem by Van Dijk.
Chelsea are considering making a move for the Dutch player as they weigh up their defensive options. With the futures of Renato Veiga and Ben Chilwell appearing to be away from Stamford Bridge, Chelsea could be without a natural left-back to backup Cucurella who started 33 Premier League matches last season and missed just two matchday, both through suspension.
Daily Mail journalist Lewis Steele recently referenced Liverpool’s interest in Hato, while noting Van Dijk is a huge admirer and ‘absolutely adores’ the youngster. It’s claimed that Van Dijk considers Hato the best defensive talent to emerge from the Netherlands in recent years, which is high praise from one of the greatest centre-backs of the Premier League era.
In an earlier update, Softfootball reported that Chelsea have identified three players targeted for Strasbourg loan spells.
Chelsea have identified three players they wish to send out on loan to sister club Strasbourg in Ligue 1 for the 2025-26 campaign according to the emerging reports.
The success of Djordje Petrovic and midfielder Andrey Santos’ time in France has resulted in the desire to loan a number of other prospects to the fellow BlueCo-owned club.
