Hakim Ziyech appears to be the victim of a major clean-up by Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel. According to the Daily Mail the German coach wants to say goodbye to no fewer than eleven players this summer and the name of the midfielder is said to be on that list. Tuchel, on the other hand, wants to complete the selection of the Champions League winner with four new players, it sounds from England.
Ziyech appeared at the kick-off of a Premier League match 15 times last season under Frank Lampard and his successor Tuchel, while he also had a starting place in three matches in the Champions League. However, a permanent place under Tuchel was not yet in sight. Ziyech, for example, only came into action as a substitute in the encounters with Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League and during the 0-1 final battle against Manchester City, the playmaker was even on the bench for 90 minutes.
calciomercato last week already made the link with Napoli, where Luciano Spalletti was recently appointed as the new manager. AC Milan are also reportedly looking at the possibility of removing Ziyech from Chelsea after just one season. Tuchel would also be open to an interim departure from the likes of Tammy Abraham, Emerson Palmieri, Tiémoué Bakayoko, Davide Zappacosta, Christian Pulisic and Billy Gilmour. Fikayo Tomori already made the definitive switch to AC Milan for 28.5 million euros, which also seemed to sign Olivier Giroud. However, the French striker has accepted Chelsea’s offer to extend his contract for another season.
So Tuchel wants to get rid of several players, including Ziyech, in order to allow the arrival of some targeted purchases. The midfielder, acquired last year for €44 million, finished his first year at Stamford Bridge with 39 appearances (6 goals and 4 assists) in all competitions. It is not yet known what minimum transfer amount Chelsea will use for Ziyech, if clubs actually report.
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