Chelsea have no interest in strengthening rivals by offering Hakim Ziyech to Newcastle United. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
As per a tweet from the European Lad, via Mike Verweij of Dutch outlet Telegraaf (h/t Football.London), negotiations between Chelsea and Ajax have hit a roadblock as they are far apart in valuation for Blues winger Hakim Ziyech.
Ziyech, who used to play for the Dutch club before arriving at Stamford Bridge in 2020, is valued at around €44m by Chelsea. Ajax is unwilling to pay that amount, hence the deal is far from being on the table, if not totally ruled out by now.
For the Amsterdam-based club, if this move doesn’t happen, their willingness to let go of Antony to Manchester United would become way less than before.
On the other hand, Ziyech has been linked with a move away from Chelsea this summer, with London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Premier League rivals Manchester United being two of the interested parties.
The former Moroccan international is yet to start a league game this season, coming off the bench every time. His game time has been significantly less in his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge, owing to injury issues and him struggling to perform on a consistent basis.
Currently, it does not seem as if the 29-year-old will be offered plenty of game time in a Blue shirt this season. For him, it might be right to move on to new pastures, with the hope to reignite his career and play well, just as he was doing before at Ajax.
From Chelsea’s viewpoint though, despite them signing Raheem Sterling to bolster the wide attacking areas, they could do with keeping Ziyech for this season.
Games will come thick and fast in a World Cup-intruded campaign, hence rotation of players all over the pitch will be necessary. The Blues have already let go of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner. Letting another forward go would put plenty of load on the likes of Sterling, Kai Havertz and Mason Mount along with the centre-forward they will hopefully sign.
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