Ornstein: West Ham rejects £50 Tottenham bid for Mohammed Kudus

If you’re like me you’re probably a little bit frustrated by the lack of major transfer window activity so far this summer by Tottenham Hotspur. I get it, especially when you watch clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea hoover up talents like they’re door-to-door vacuum salesmen. Well, I don’t have much good news in that regard, but what I do have is news of an actual Tottenham Hotspur bid!

No, for serious!

Tonight, David Ornstein writes in The Athletic that Tottenham Hotspur had a formal bid of £50m REJECTED by West Ham United for the purchase of Mohammed Kudus. This comes on the heels of, uh, less reputable sources that say that Chelsea have expressed interest in Kudus. If you’re new to the blog or to the club, David Ornstein is basically the Shams Charania of English football — extremely well-sourced and extremely reliable. If Ornstein says it, it’d be pretty shocking if it didn’t happen (or won’t happen). While Spurs’ initial bid was rejected, talks between the clubs continue, so this isn’t the end.

The “Ornacle” writes that Kudus has a purchase clause of £80m that’s only valid through July 10, but it’s pretty clear that neither Tottenham nor any other club are going to offer that much money for him. Ornstein also says that Kudus would prioritize a move to Tottenham over any other club in the Premier League, and that personal terms “are not expected to be an issue.”

OK! Well, we’re getting somewhere. This is the first Kudus news we’ve seen come out that isn’t from either West Ham’s side or super sus sources, so it’s actual evidence that Johan Lange is actually working on deals and not Dungeon Mastering a 5th edition campaign in the Forgotten Realms at Hotspur Way.

Now that said — £50m is a LOT of money for Mohammed Kudus and there’s a pretty good and interesting argument to be had as to whether spending more than that amount would be considered a good idea. I’m personally a bit :grimace-emoji: on that topic myself, but if he’s not a perfect fit for what Spurs need in the midfield, the 24-year-old Ghanaian can at least dribble and pass even if he’s coming off of a pretty meh performance last season.

That’s all we know at this point. We don’t know if Tottenham will pursue their interest in Kudus and make an improved offer, or if they’ll turn their attention to other targets. Will find out later, I guess. But at least we can say this — someone or something poked Tottenham with a stick and said “Do stuff” and Spurs did something! And that’s not nothing!

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