Arsenal 'eye £40m move' for Ajax star Mohammed Kudus

Arsenal are eyeing a move for Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus, it has been claimed.

The Gunners have significantly strengthened their squad in the off-season, having spent over £200million in an attempt to go one better than last term’s second-place Premier League finish.

First, Kai Havertz arrived in a £65milliion deal from Chelsea, followed by Jurrien Timber, who finalised a £38.5million move from Ajax last Friday. Then, Arsenal paid a club record £105million fee to secure the services of West Ham captain Declan Rice.

The latter's signing is just shy of the British transfer record, with Chelsea having paid Benfica £106.8million for Enzo Fernandez in January.

According to Mail Online, Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar will now turn his attention to outgoings, with the likes of Kieran Tierney, Cedric Soares, Nicolas Pepe, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Nuno Tavares and Rob Holding all attracting interest.

The future of Thomas Partey has also been the subject of much speculation this summer, however, the publication claims the Gunners will only sell the Ghanaian this summer should they receive a “huge” offer.

Furthermore, though the focus is offloading player, the club are not ruling out further arrivals, with Kudus among the players allegedly interesting the club.

Kudus, who can play as a conventional central midfielder, in a more advanced role and also on the wing, is thought to be a target for the Gunners, with his versatility said to be particularly attractive to Arsenal's recruitment staff.

While Kudus has been the subject of interest from Brighton this summer, the attraction of playing Champions League football, with a team challenging for the Premier League could emerge as a factor.

The 22-year-old, who the Mail Online claim would cost in the region of £40million, is certainly not short of confidence, having once insisted he was as talented as Neymar.

Ahead of the World Cup last year Kudus said of the Brazilian star: “He’s not better than me. He’s just a higher profile player, that’s all,”

Last September, the two players had a fierce exchange when Brazil beat Ghana in a friendly.

On the matter, Kudus added, in an interview with the Guardian: “He was defending his country and I was defending mine. I wasn’t about to let him push me around. What makes him better, for now, is that he has achieved a lot. I’ll get there soon.”