Wolves set to open talks with £9m Everton target who dreams of a Premier League move

In the last few days, Everton have been linked with Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus. The Toffees have been searching for a midfielder and Kudus is an intriguing option to consider. The Ghanaian could be the young and energetic midfielder that Frank Lampard is looking for.

There has been a shift in Everton’s transfer ideology since the arrival of Lampard and Kevin Thelwell. In the last couple of windows, Everton have focused on signing experienced players who are in their prime, in their late twenties or early thirties.

This summer the Blues have tried to sign young players who have talent and the hunger to grow. These young players will also have a future resale value. Apart from James Tarkowski and Conor Coady, the signings are less than 24 years of age. Amadou Onana is just 21, Ruben Vinagre is 23 and Dwight McNeil is 22.

Kudus also falls in the same bracket. At 22, he has time on his side to polish himself and grow as a player. The Toffees were said to be in talks with the Ghanaian who was open to a move to Goodison Park. Everton wants to sign him on a loan with an option to buy.

Everton face competition for Mohammed Kudus

Just days after the links to Kudus emerged, Dutch media rebuffed the reports, stating that Ajax were not aware of any interest and no team had contacted the Eredivisie giants for Kudus. Furthermore, Ajax are not interested in selling Kudus or even loaning him out. This surely has been a blow for Everton and all the interested parties.

However, this has not derailed the desire to sign Kudus. What will come as a blow to Everton’s hopes is that Wolves are gearing up to open talks to sign the 22 year old. According to Birmingham Live, Wolves have shown interest in Kudus and the Birmingham club are set to rival Everton in the bid to sign Kudus from Ajax.

Talks between Wolves and the player’s entourage are set to open soon as Bruno Lage targets the midfielder on loan before the curtain drops on September 1. Kudus wants to leave Amsterdam and dreams of playing in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Ajax continues to keep the stance that Kudus is off the transfer market.

Ajax boss Alfred Schreuder also admitted that he isn’t aware of any clubs’ interest and insisted that Kudus should stay at the Johan Cruijff Arena.

"I haven’t heard anything. I think he should not leave. You can see that he is important. We need a lot of good players. (via Birmingham Live)"

Everton will have to battle with Wolves and also convince Ajax to loan Kudus out. At this point, it looks like a difficult task, especially given the short timeframe.

Will the Merseysiders succeed in signing Mohammed Kudus?