It is transfer deadline day, with the window set to slam shut until next Monday. For Chelsea and other clubs in the Club World Cup, it represents an opportunity to sign players before the new-look competition begins. Indeed, the Blues will be looking to bolster their squad ahead of their first fixture against LAFC.

Their first couple of signings are over the line this summer, already. Liam Delap has officially joined from Ipswich Town, with the Blues winning the transfer battle for him after the Tractor Boys’ relegation. Most recently, Mamadou Sarr moved to Stamford Bridge from sister club Strasbourg.

Delap and Sarr may not be the only players through the door at Chelsea before the end of the window. They are linked with someone else from the Premier League.

Chelsea’s next Premier League target

Now, it will be touch and go to see if Chelsea can bring anyone else to the club in the final throes of this mini transfer window. If that were the case, signing someone from the Premier League, especially another London club, would surely help.

Regardless, at some stage this summer, Chelsea are seemingly set to move for West Ham United forward Mohammed Kudus. TEAMTalk report that ‘a swap deal’ between the London rivals is ‘on the cards’ in the coming weeks.

The report suggests that Kudus 'has been offered to Chelsea’ by the Hammers this summer, who are demanding £70m for their star attacker. However, that price could come down if Robert Sanchez goes the other way.

The Spaniard could ‘be involved in any deal’ between the two clubs, with the Blues pursuing AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

Why Kudus would be a good signing

Whether or not the West Ham attacker moves to Chelsea before or after the Club World Cup is irrelevant. He would certainly improve the squad at Stamford Bridge, and is a “superstar” according to football scout Antonio Mango.

In terms of Kudus’ time at the London Stadium so far, he has managed 19 goals and 13 assists in 80 appearances. Just as it was for his side, the 2024/25 campaign was a struggle, where he notched up eight goals and assists in 32 games.

However, in his debut Premier League season, the 24-year-old showed just how deadly he can be. In 33 league games, the former Ajax attacker scored eight times and grabbed nine assists, as well as five goals in the Europa League.

One look at Kudus’ numbers from the last two Premier League seasons is enough to understand what type of player Chelsea are getting. According to Sofascore, he has completed 216 dribbles during his time in the top flight.

That certainly suggests that the Blues are signing a one-vs-one specialist, someone who loves to take on defenders. His combined expected goal involvement numbers, which stand at 18.43xGI, show that Kudus will have an impact in the final third, too.

If the Blues do manage to bring the Ghana international to the club, he could become their new Joe Cole. The former England international also joined Chelsea from West Ham, for a reported fee of £6.6m, as per BBC Sport.

His fee today would be the equivalent of £37.4m according to The Transfer Index, a bargain given how good he was for Chelsea. In 282 appearances for the club, Cole, a three-time Premier League winner, scored 39 goals and grabbed 37 assists.

Another similarity between Kudus and Cole is their versatility. In a Chelsea shirt, the London-born attacker played on both wings, as a number 10 and a centre-forward.

Well, that is much like Kudus for West Ham, who has played right across the frontline at the London Stadium.

If Kudus does join Chelsea, there are lots of similarities between him and the former Blues number 10. If he replicates what Cole did in that famous Blue shirt, then it will certainly have been a successful move.

Be it a £70m fee or a swap deal, this seems like a transfer that is too good to turn down for Chelsea, be it on deadline day or in the longer transfer window.