Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez has refused to train with the team on Thursday as he continues to push for a move to Chelsea, 90min understands.
The Blues lodged a bid worth €50m (£43m) for the 24-year-old Mexico international on Wednesday evening, and Alvarez is understood to be desperate to make the move to the Premier League.
Alvarez saw Ajax reject a €40m bid from Newcastle earlier this summer but now wants his current employers to accept what he believes is a fair offer from Chelsea, who can offer him a chance to fulfil his dream of playing in England.
To aid his attempt to leave the club, Alvarez has refused to train with Ajax on Thursday morning, with sources confirming to 90min that the midfielder’s representatives are working tirelessly to try and convince Ajax to accept a deal.
As of yet, Ajax have yet to respond to Chelsea’s bid, leaving both the Blues and Alvarez believing the Dutch side could be tempted to agree to a sale.
One issue for Chelsea is the fact that the Dutch transfer window is now closed. An administrative error saw the Dutch FA fail to sync their window up with the rest of Europe, so if Ajax would be unable to sign a replacement if they agreed to sell Alvarez on Thursday.
Nevertheless, talks remain on between the two clubs and Alvarez is doing what he can from his side to try and get a deal done.
Alvarez’s future could be linked to that of current Blues midfielder Conor Gallagher. While Thomas Tuchel has long stressed his desire to keep the young England international, Gallagher has plenty of suitors from across the Premier League, including Crystal Palace, who would likely ask for the 22-year-old on loan in any deal to send Wilfried Zaha to Stamford Bridge.
Another midfielder, Billy Gilmour, is being targeted by Brighton, who are pursuing a permanent deal for the Scot as they already have Levi Colwill on loan from Chelsea and are not permitted to loan more than one player from the same club.
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