Chelsea tried to sign Edson Alvarez from Ajax in the summer of 2022, but had their offer rejected, according to the player’s agent, Nathan van Kooperen.

Alvarez, who now plays for West Ham United, was a late midfield target for then Chelsea boss, Thomas Tuchel, and the Blues did lodge a £51m bid for him, which was turned down by Ajax, and Van Kooperen has now expressed his frustration with how the deal was handled.

“Chelsea were prepared to go very far,” Van Kooperen told ESPN’s Goedemorgen Eredivisie show.

“They wanted to do everything they could to bring him to Chelsea.

“But Ajax had no replacement ready, so they weren’t prepared to cooperate. They thought [qualifying for] Champions League football was very important.”

He added: “Chelsea went up to €60million!”

The agent also revealed that the failed move took a mental toll on Alvarez, who felt like he was being held back from growing as a player, after seeing some of his former teammates, like Antony, Lisandro Martinez, Sebastien Haller and Ryan Gravenberch leave for other clubs.

“That made it extra difficult for Edson,” Van Kooperen continued.

“He saw his friends leave the club and it was Chelsea [who wanted him], where he could instantly become the most expensive Mexican football in history. It was difficult for him.”