Chelsea and Ajax going from friendly to intimate in transfer rumor

Chelsea and Ajax have already done business on Hakim Ziyech, but Nicolas Tagliafico and Andre Onana rumors hint at it going beyond a business arrangement.

Ajax had been hurt before. Once upon a time they were the hot stuff around town but age has seen their star dim somewhat. Newer, rising clubs have taken advantage of that as they have stripped Ajax of their best young players year after year.

It happened enough that at some point, clubs stopped looking towards Ajax for solutions. The younger players got older and remained at the club. This allowed Ajax to return to some of the plateaus they had previously been on and it allowed two fateful meetings with Chelsea in the Champions League.

The clubs had done business before, most notably Bertrand Traore, but not much else. But something happened during those two meetings. Chelsea and Ajax met eyes and what was a friendship between the two clubs began to develop into something more.

It started with Hakim Ziyech. Ziyech had become a hot commodity after Ajax’s recent European runs. It was only a matter of time before some club came in for him. Chelsea managed to win that race, though they had to do so after the January window to allow Ziyech to complete what was left of the Dutch season.

The rumors after that turned towards Andre Onana. Ziyech leaving Ajax opened the floodgates for their older players that led them in their deep European runs to being their departures. Onana is allegedly allowed to leave for the right price and Chelsea is supposed to be interested.

Then there are the more recent rumors that the Blues have been informed that Nicolas Tagliafico would only cost just £22.4 million. This is basically Ajax sending flowers to Chelsea thanking them for the Ziyech deal and saying there is more where that came from.

It is entirely possible, less than a year after playing Ajax in two exciting Champions League ties, that three of their starters could be starting for Chelsea. That is not necessarily unprecedented, but it goes to show the close relationship the two clubs have formed with one another.

Of course, it is nearly only one way. Ajax knows all about that too. Look no further than Ajax’s partnership with Barcelona. Has Ajax seen any benefit from it? Has any player gone to the Netherlands from Spain in this arrangement? At least Chelsea has sent Traore and Juan Castillo over. It is still pretty one way, but not entirely.

That is why getting Onana and Tagliafico deals done to complete the hattrick with Ziyech can really only happen this summer. Afterwards, and especially if Chelsea is not sending any players to the Dutch side, Ajax may cool on the idea of transferring all their best players to Chelsea.

Both Onana and Tagliafico would be excellent acquisitions for the Blues. They would also have a strongly formed partnership with one another and Ziyech that would help ease their transition into London life. The three also understand a tactical style similar to what Frank Lampard desires to see at Chelsea.

It started with a transfer here and there and really kicked off after they played each other in the Champions League. Now, Chelsea and Ajax can take their relationship to the next level. It is all a matter of Chelsea doing what they have to in order to win Ajax over.