Chelsea set an asking price of £17.5m for Hakim Ziyech with AS Roma interested
According to Gianluca Di Marzio (h/t Metro), Chelsea have set an asking price of £17.5m for winger Hakim Ziyech with Serie A side AS Roma interested in signing him.
Premier League clubs Newcastle United and Aston Villa are also in the race. Chelsea don’t want to sell the Moroccan to the former as it would strengthen their direct rivals. Relegation scrapping Everton have shown interest too.
Roma have entered the race to sign Ziyech as they prepare for the potential departure of Nicolo Zaniolo. The Blues are in contract with AC Milan over a deal as well.
The 29-year-old has had an underwhelming time at Stamford Bridge since arriving from Ajax for 33m in the summer of 2020. He has struggled for regular game time and hasn’t impacted much when given a run of games to provide the goods.
As much as he is such a good technical player, he lacks the adequate to play well wide in the Premier League. Teams know he isn’t running away from them at any click. So, once his ball-playing game gets sussed out, he does not have any other weapon to hurt them.
In a way, moving to the Italian league will suit Ziyech’s style of play. The pace of that league isn’t as frantic as here. the technical players usually flourish there. Hence, Roma and Jose Mourinho may get the best out of him.
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Hence, if this deal happens, it would suit all parties. Chelsea will get some money back, Roma will have a player that may suit them to a tee and Ziyech would go to a club where he is expected to have more game time compared to here. We wish him all the best if the departure is indeed imminent!