I was 60 minutes from Chelsea transfer with a plane ready - but I was told no

Chelsea reportedly made a move to sign Edson Alvarez during his time at Ajax - only for the deal to fall through at the eleventh hour.

Alvarez joined West Ham in the summer of 2023 in a deal worth up to £35million, and has gone on to become a regular figure in the midfield for the Hammers following the departure of Declan Rice, who moved to Arsenal in the same window last year.

The 27-year-old explained how he had the chance to move to the Premier League a year earlier, with Chelsea said to be in the running to bring him to Stamford Bridge. However, Alvarez recalled how - despite waiting for a plan to take him to London - he was informed by Ajax that a move to Chelsea would not be happening.

Alvarez told Caliente TV in March this year: "In year three [at Ajax], I had to go to Chelsea, the plane was waiting for me at the airport - then Ajax told me, 'You know what: you're not going'.

"Whether people believe it or not, it doesn't make any difference to me, I'm the one who is here and the one who is living it," Alvarez added. "I was an hour away from getting on the plane and going to sign for Chelsea.

"Ajax told me: 'You're not going'. So, you're not leaving, what do you do? There's no way you're leaving."

Despite missing out on Alvarez, Chelsea still managed to invest heavily in strengthening their midfield options over the last 18 months. Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Lesley Ugochukukwu, Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei have all been signed by Chelsea in recent transfer windows.

Sign up for Chelsea news direct to your email inbox

Chelsea ended the 2023/24 Premier League season on a high, but it is never quiet at Stamford Bridge and the summer looks set to be one full of news, with question marks over Mauricio Pochettino's future at the club and plenty of talk around transfers.

And by signing up to our newsletter here, you'll make sure you receive the best Blues content including news, rumours, articles and fan opinions - direct into your inbox and all for free!

We also want to hear from you. Create an account here in just a few moments, so you can have your say on all things Chelsea, join the debate and take part in exclusive Q&As as well.