Edson Alvarez reveals he was an 'HOUR AWAY from getting on the plane and signing for Chelsea'... a year before he joined West Ham from Ajax in a £35m deal

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Edson Alvarez has revealed how close he came to signing for Chelsea before he joined West Ham.

The Mexican international joined the Hammers from Ajax in a £35m deal last summer.

However, a year prior, Alvarez came close to joining Chelsea in the first transfer window of Todd Boehly's reign as Chelsea owner. 

In an interview with Caliente TV, as per the Mirror, Alvarez revealed that a plane was waiting for him at the airport before the deal fell through.

He said: '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'.

Edson Alvarez has revealed how close he came to signing for Chelsea before joining West Ham

Alvarez had been linked with a move during Todd Boehly's first summer as Chelsea owner

Ajax though ultimately told Alvarez to stay and he remained in the Eredivisie for another year

'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.'

Chelsea's loss was West Ham's gain, as David Moyes' side moved in for Alvarez after losing captain Declan Rice to Arsenal in a £100m deal. 

He has impressed at the heart of West Ham's midfield making 35 appearances so far this season.

Discussing Alvarez’s potential move to Chelsea, agent Nathan van Kooperen told ESPN: ‘Chelsea were prepared to go very far. 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.’

Alvarez has impressed at West Ham since joining the club last summer in a £35m deal

Chelsea ultimately spent big money on the likes of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez

Asked how Alvarez reacted to the failed move, when so many other Ajax players were allowed to leave, Van Kooperen added: ‘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.’

Chelsea waited until January to bring in a big-name midfield signing in the form of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for a then British record £106m.

They followed that off with a new British record deal worth £115m for Moises Caicedo in the 2023.