Arsenal have made Ajax centre-back Jorrel Hato one of their top targets for the summer transfer window, according to reports.
The 18-year-old made his debut for Ajax last season but quickly established himself as a first-team regular at the start of the current campaign.
Hato was rewarded by Ajax for his impressive breakthrough season with a new contract which keeps him tied to the Dutch club until 2028.
But according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are ‘pushing’ to sign Hato this summer and are already preparing a move.
‘Arsenal are also working on their future, they have many wonderkids in their academy but there is a player they’re after and he’s playing at Ajax, he’s a centre-back and it’s Jorrel Hato,’ Romano said on the Here We Go podcast.
‘Hato signed a new deal with Ajax a few months ago, Ajax are obviously more than happy with him and hoping to keep Hato at the club in the summer.
‘But Arsenal are still following him, they’ve tracked him multiple times, they believe he is a top, top centre back in terms of potential, so keep an eye on Arsenal. They are still pushing on Hato and they believe they are frontrunners in the race to sign him.
‘Let’s see if they can make it happen this summer, or has to be in the future, but Hato remains one of the priority names on Arsenal’s list.’
Speaking after joining Ajax in the January transfer window, Jordan Henderson claimed Hato ‘has a bright future ahead of him’.
‘It’s crazy how young he is, but obviously how mature he looks when he’s on the pitch and also off the pitch,’ Henderson said.
‘He’s a very mature person, works hard, fantastic player, and yeah, he has a bright future ahead of him, I’m sure. I think he just needs to continue to do what he’s he’s been doing.’
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