Chelsea will be hoping lightning strikes twice as they close in on another Ajax Dutch defender.talkSPORT understands that the Blues are close to reaching an agreement to sign Jorrel Hato in a potential £40million transfer.Mario Melchiot remains a Chelsea cult hero having spent five years at the clubShould Hato make the move to Stamford Bridge as expected, he would become the first defender to swap Amsterdam for west London since Mario Melchiot in 1999.Melchiot opted against signing a new deal at Ajax to join Chelsea on a free transfer.Like Hato, Melchiot could operate as either as a full-back or as a centre-back.The retired 22-cap Netherlands international, who won the Eredivisie and two KNVB Cups at Ajax, scooped silverware in his first season at Chelsea.He started in the 2000 FA Cup final victory over Aston Villa, before opening his account in the 2-0 win over Manchester United in the Charity Shield three months later.After two years in England, he finally scored his first top-flight goal in December 2001 to create Premier League history for the Blues.It was United again that Melchiot found the back of the net against – doing so with a bullet header after getting on the end of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s corner in the sixth minute. He then kept the Red Devils at bay for the rest of the match, with Hasselbaink and Eidur Gudjohnsen adding to Chelsea’s tally in the second half.Chelsea’s 3-0 victory was the club’s biggest victory over United at the Theatre of Dreams in Premier League history.It was also their first win away at United in five years – and first league clean sheet there since 1995.Melchiot broke the deadlock at United in 2001 to help Chelsea seal a famous victoryThe Dutch defender failed to contain his emotions after scoring his first Premier League goalAnd it was also their biggest win at Old Trafford since their 4-0 thumping of United in 33 years.To this day, the 3-0 win in 2001 remains their biggest Premier League victory away at United.In total, Melchiot chipped in with five goals and 11 assists in 165 appearances in all competitions during his five-year spell, before joining Birmingham in 2004.While he remains a cult hero amongst fans, Melchiot thought his Chelsea career was over before it had even begun.Melchiot broke his foot twice before he had even kicked a ball for the club, with the player forced to wait until April 2000 to make his debut.Recalling his arrival at Stamford Bridge, Melchiot told Ladbrokes Fanzone: “When I signed for Chelsea, of course I was very happy, and it was a very proud and special moment for me.Melchiot won two trophies at Chelsea – both coming in 2000Getty“But I broke my foot twice in one season. Before I’d even kicked a ball for the team, I thought my football career was finished.“As a young boy, you know, when you come over to England, you’re so excited; moving to a new country, signing for a big club and preparing for the new challenge.“But then you’re ruled out by an injury and that feeling is just completely taken over by sadness.“I broke it once, and then a couple of months later I broke it again. So I’m sat there just thinking ‘I haven’t even played football for this club, and I’ve broken my foot twice.’“So, you can imagine, when I finally recovered, and I stepped onto that pitch at Stamford Bridge for the first time, against Middlesbrough… Oh my God. It was the best moment of my life.Melchiot starred in Chelsea’s historic Premier League win at United in 2001“I don’t want to say it was a life-saving moment, but it was something like that, because I was so desperate to play football again, and I had moments where I thought my career had been taken away from me.“Finally, I was able to live my dream again. That was the proudest moment for me, in a Chelsea shirt.”