Chelsea complete £37m signing of Dutch Defender Jorrel Hato from Ajax
Chelsea have officially completed the signing of highly-rated Ajax defender Jorrel Hato in a deal worth £37 million.
The 19-year-old Netherlands international has penned a seven-year contract with the Premier League giants after successfully undergoing a medical in London over the weekend.
Hato becomes Chelsea’s eighth signing of the summer transfer window, joining the FIFA Club World Cup champions as they continue to strengthen ahead of a busy campaign that includes a return to the UEFA Champions League.
“I’m very excited, I’m so happy to be here,” Hato said after sealing the move. “I thought a lot about my future and wanted to take the next step in my career.
Chelsea is the best place for me to do that so I’m very happy.”
A product of Ajax’s world-renowned youth academy, Hato made his senior debut at just 16 years and 335 days old in 2023, becoming the third-youngest Eredivisie debutant for the club behind Clarence Seedorf and Ryan Gravenberch.
Capable of playing both at centre-back and left-back, the versatile defender captained Ajax at 17 and has already racked up 111 appearances for the first team.
He also made his international debut for the Netherlands in 2023 against Gibraltar and has since earned six caps.
With Chelsea currently possessing seven centre-backs, Hato is expected to provide added depth and competition, especially on the left side of defence.
Levi Colwill remains the only regular left-footed centre-back, while Benoît Badiashile’s 2024–25 season was disrupted by injury and limited minutes.
Last season under head coach Francesco Farioli, Hato played predominantly at left-back in a 4-3-3 system, featuring in that position for 94% of his minutes. However, he spent most of the 2023–24 season playing at centre-back, particularly in a 4-2-3-1 setup.
Remarkably, Hato leads all players born after January 1, 2003, in minutes played at club level in Europe’s top six leagues since the start of the 2023–24 season, with a staggering 8,347 minutes—more than Jude Bellingham (7,988) and Lamine Yamal (7,506).
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca sees Hato’s tactical flexibility and experience at such a young age as a key addition to a squad preparing for the rigours of domestic and European football.