On Sunday evening, Chelsea confirmed Hato as their eighth summer signing, locking him into a seven-year deal reportedly valued at £37 million. ..Continue Reading
The 19-year-old Dutch defender—capable of playing at left-back and centre-half—joins an already stacked list of summer recruits including Jamie Gittens, Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Mamadou Sarr, Dario Essugo, Estevao, and Kendry Paez.
Although Arsenal and Liverpool had both shown serious interest in Hato recently, Chelsea moved swiftly to settle personal terms with the Ajax star before finalizing the transfer.
‘I’m very excited, I’m so happy to be here,’ Hato told Chelsea’s official website having committed his future to the Club World Cup champions until 2032.
‘I thought a lot about my future and wanted to take the next step in my career.
‘Chelsea is the best place for me to do that so I’m very happy.’
Hato suggested he was leaving his boyhood team to join one of the ‘biggest clubs’ in world football.
‘For sure it was a big decision,’ the versatile full-back added. ‘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.’
Hato was flooded with countless good luck messages from fans and players alike as he celebrated his move to Chelsea on his many social media profiles.
While Ajax’s official Instagram page demanded Chelsea ‘take good care’ of Hato, the likes of Zirkzee, Jurrien Timber and Ian Maatsen joined in passing on their best wishes to their fellow countryman.
But, it was a reply from RB Leipzig player Simons – which simply read ‘Miboy. [love heart emoji]’ – that most excited Chelsea fans, who wasted little time in putting two and two together.
In response to Simons’ message, one Chelsea fan wrote, ‘We’re waiting for you champ’, while others replied, ‘SIGN THE CONTRACT’ and ‘YOU’RE NEXT’.
Chelsea are working hard to finalize a move for Xavi Simons, following his impressive 2024/25 Bundesliga season where he tallied ten goals and seven assists.
Negotiations between Chelsea and RB Leipzig have gone well, and the Conference League champions are hopeful of completing the signing before the window closes.
Leipzig reportedly value Simons at around £60 million, and weekend reports suggest they proposed involving Tyrique George in the deal.
Simons, formerly of PSV Eindhoven, is under contract with the German club until June 2027.
He has scrubbed all references to Leipzig from his social media bios and was absent from last Friday’s preseason session with Ole Werner’s team.
Although Leipzig’s sporting director Marcel Schafer claimed Simons missed training due to medical reasons, the club seems increasingly prepared for his exit to Stamford Bridge.
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