I was one hour away from Chelsea transfer with a plane waiting - then I was told no

West Ham United midfielder Edson Alvarez has revealed that he was on the brink of signing for Chelsea.

The Mexican international, who made his move to West Ham from Ajax last summer in a deal worth £35million, revealed that he had a plane ready to whisk him away to sign the contract. However, a last-minute change of heart by his former club put a stop to it.

In a candid chat with Caliente TV, the 26-year-old, who has stepped into Declan Rice's shoes in the West Ham midfield, shared: "In year three [at Ajax], I had to go to Chelsea, the plane was waiting for me at the airport - then Ajax told me, 'You know what: you're not going'."

"Whether people believe it or not, it doesn't make any difference to me, I'm the one who is here and the one who is living it. I was an hour away from getting on the plane and going to sign for Chelsea."

"Ajax told me: 'You're not going'. So, you're not leaving, what do you do? There's no way you're leaving"

Alvarez has been a revelation in the heart of West Ham's midfield, clocking up 42 appearances in 2023/24. Despite missing out on Alvarez, Chelsea have not held back in revamping their midfield over the past 18 months.

READ MORE: Dream Chelsea line-up for 2024/25 season if Michael Olise signs and Benjamin Sesko deal struck

READ MORE: Todd Boehly told not to make 'crazy' transfer decision as Chelsea described as a 'shambles'

Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo both came with price tags exceeding £100million, while they also splashed out significantly on Romeo Lavia, Lesley Ugochukukwu, Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei.