£8m move collapses as Chelsea star fails medical at Saudi club

Chelsea suffer a transfer blow as Hakim Ziyech’s transfer to Al-Nassr collapses due to medical fail

According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech’s £8m move to Saudi Arabia club Al-Nassr has collapsed following a failed medical for the Moroccan international.

It is revealed that a knee issue was discovered when the player underwent his medical before a move to the club that currently employs Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ziyech remains on the list of players Chelsea want to get rid of this summer. This is the second time the former Ajax winger’s move away from Stamford Bridge has stalled. The last time it happened was in January when he was close to signing for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). On that occasion though, the Blues failed to complete the paperwork on time.

Hakim Ziyech's move to Al-Nassr is off following a medical fail.
Hakim Ziyech’s move to Al-Nassr is off following a medical fail.

The 30-year-old has two years left in his contract at the club (Transfermarkt). Chelsea will look for clubs that can offer a deal to sign him in the coming days.

Ziyech’s time as a Chelsea player has been nothing short of underwhelming, to say the least. The Moroccan star has struggled for consistency when given a chance to play. He also lacked an edge to his game, something he always had while playing for Ajax.

Let’s hope for the player’s sake that it is the third time lucky for him and he signs for a new club this summer. Any money recouped by the Blues from this sale can be used to bolster the transfer budget, even by a smidgen.

Ziyech's time at Chelsea has been underwhelming.
Ziyech’s time at Chelsea has been underwhelming.

Amidst all of that, we still have to talk about what made Ziyech fail his medical at Al-Nassr. Will that knee issue hinder his transfer for the foreseeable future? If yes, then what will Chelsea do once the window closes? Maybe we can leave the answer to that with Mauricio Pochettino.

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For now, an update from journalist James Benge, via Ben Jacobs suggests that Ziyech isn’t open to moving to Al-Nassr. He is apparently offered a 40% lower salary by Al-Nassr than he was first offered before the failed medical, but he is not open to accepting it. Chelsea just can’t get rid of him.