Chelsea reportedly had a £51 million bid rejected for a West Ham star.

In the Summer, West Ham had the mammoth task of replacing Declan Rice following his £105 million move to Arsenal. Overall, they have done a pretty good job at doing so. James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez have managed to fill the void in midfield with the latter in particular becoming a fan favourite.

The Mexican’s work rate, ferocity and presence all have led to him becoming an instant hit in the East End. He was a sensational buy for just £35 million and while his defensive qualities are certainly his best attributes, his ability going forward has been a pleasant surprise to all.

Surprisingly though, Chelsea are said to have put in a bid for considerably more just a year earlier.

Todd Boehly’s arrival in West London has seen them spend over a billion pounds and they apparently put in a massive bid of £51 million just a year before the Irons signed him, according to Van Kooperen.

Unfortunately for them, Ajax had already sold Gravenberch, Haller, Martinez and Antony. As much as they would have been keen to keep hold of one of their best players, in the long run this did not work out well for the Dutch side as they sold him to West Ham for £16 million less than Chelsea were willing to pay. Chelsea were also said to be interested in signing Mohammed Kudus but the Irons managed to get their first.

Ultimately, West Ham will be delighted that they managed to get Alvarez but also you would be surprised if the player was not happy with how things panned out. Chelsea have chucked so much money at players that it is almost impossible to get into their starting XI, despite not playing particularly well. If he did sign for them, it is hard to imagine that he would be pleased with sitting on the bench.