Arsenal mark young Ajax defender Jorrel Hato as priority target
According to the latest reports, Arsenal have expressed their firm intention to sign Ajax central defender Jorrel Hato in the upcoming summer transfer window. The defender’s performances this season have impressed the Gunners and the club have earmarked him as a priority target.
Jorrel Hato started his youth career at local club Sparta Rotterdam. In 2018, he left his hometown to join the Ajax academy. The defender played for the youth club and also captained Ajax’s U-19 team in the UEFA Youth League in the 2022-23 season.
The Dutch central defender was promoted to the senior team in January 2023 after impressing in the UEFA Youth League. It was his performance against Napoli Youth when he scored with a powerful solo run to earn his side a 1-1 draw that earned him promotion to the senior team.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano (via Metro), Arsenal are seriously interested in signing Jorrel Hato and are preparing a move in the next transfer window. The North Londoners are looking to add new players to their squad and have identified the young Dutchman as one of their main targets this summer.
The fight for the Premier League went down to the final matchweek of this campaign and the Gunners were one of the main contenders. The north London side have performed brilliantly this season, but they only missed out on the league title by two points.
Under the supervision of manager Mikel Arteta, the team did very well, but it was not enough to win the Premier League trophy, losing once again to Man City. Therefore, the north Londoners have decided to bring in new and young talents to support Arteta and help him win the league title next season.
🔴⚪️ Arsenal continue to monitor young Ajax central defender Jorrel Hato as one of Europe’s best talents at his position.
He has already been spotted for months and Arsenal continue to follow him.
Hato recently signed a new deal until 2028 with Ajax, Arsenal remain interested. pic.twitter.com/CPWu9ooukw
-Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 10, 2024
Even though the Gunners have some great young talent in their youth team, they don’t want to miss any opportunity to add potential talent to their roster. Arsenal have been following Jorrel Hato for a long time and want him at the Emirates this summer.
Italian transfer guru Romano said on the Here We Go podcast:
“Arsenal are also working on their future, they have a lot of prodigies in their academy but there is one player they are looking for and he plays at Ajax, he is a central defender and that is Jorrel Hato.
The Gunners have tracked him on several occasions, they believe he is an excellent central defender in terms of potential, so keep an eye on Arsenal. They continue to put pressure on Hato and believe they are ahead in the race to sign him.
Let’s see if they can achieve it this summer, or if they should in the future, but Hato remains one of the priority names on Arsenal’s list.
The youngster has just played his first full season with the Ajax senior team, but has already established himself as a first-team regular. His impressive performances earned him a new contract in the Eredivisie until 2028. He also received his first national team call-up for the Netherlands in November 2023.
Learn more:
Despite his young age, the defender is technically sound and has great skills and speed. He will therefore undoubtedly be a great asset for the club. Meanwhile, moving to the Emirates will provide him with a bigger stage and better infrastructure for his career development and growth.
Aside from the positive aspects of self-improvement, Arsenal’s progress over the past two seasons to become a title contender is certainly a tempting prospect for Jorrel Hato. However, the major question is how Ajax perceive the deal and whether they will let their defender leave.
Follow AD for the latest transfer updates for Arsenal.
