Mohammed Kudus 'hands Newcastle United, Liverpool transfer boost'

The 22-year-old was in impressive form for Ghana at the 2022 World Cup, scoring twice in three appearances, while he entered the tournament off the back of a strong start to the campaign at club level.

Kudus has managed 10 goals and two assists in 21 appearances for his Dutch side this term, including four goals and two assists in the group stage of the Champions League.

There has been a host of speculation surrounding his future over the last few days, with Newcastle United and Liverpool said to be among the English clubs keen to sign him.

According to The Sun, the versatile forward is open to making the move to the Premier League in 2023, but he would only join a club with Champions League football on the table.

The report claims that Ajax are likely to want a fee in the region of £40m for Kudus, who has scored 15 goals and registered six assists in 63 appearances for the Dutch giants in all competitions.

Tottenham Hotspur are believed to have scouted the forward earlier this year, while the Ghana international recently said that he was "really close" to joining Everton over the summer.

"I was really close to joining Everton. I thought it was a good project for me and I felt I should try it. It wasn't like this season was my first (at Ajax), it was my third," he told Star Connect on Joy TV.

"So if I'm not getting the progress I'm looking for, then why not try something else?

"I spoke to [Frank] Lampard. I had a chat with him to find out the project they had for me, what he thought about me and how he saw me as a player, because definitely that would be the green light for me to decide whether I wanted to move. Without the coach, there is nothing."

Barcelona have also been credited with an interest in Kudus, with the Catalan outfit's sporting director Jordi Cruyff revealing that the club have been "tracking" him.

"We've been tracking Mohammed Kudus for more than one year. We can't say now that Barca want Kudus... but he's attracting interest," Cruyff told RAC1.

"He's scoring goals and in Holland, they discuss a lot about his position, so yes - I know him well."

Kudus started his professional career with Danish outfit Nordsjaelland, scoring 14 goals and registering three assists for the club before moving to Amsterdam.

Ghana ultimately finished bottom of their World Cup group, having collected just three points from three matches, but they were only a point behind South Korea, who qualified in second spot behind Portugal.