Chelsea have suffered another transfer setback over Hakim Ziyech as he failed Al-Nassr’s medical ahead of his move to the Middle East.
The Saudi Arabia outfit are reportedly having concerns over the acquisition of the Morocco international from Chelsea.
The 30-year-old winger is one of several football players that have been targeted by leading clubs from Saudi Arabia as they proceed with their contentious signings push across the European top flight.
It is anticipated that other players, such as Ziyech and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, will be leaving Chelsea shortly. So far, Chelsea has seen Edouard Mendy move to Al-Ahli, Kalidou Koulibaly go to Al-Hilal, and N’Golo Kante leaves as a free agent to join Al-Ittihad.
What happened to Hakim Ziyech?
On Thursday, June 29, the Moroccan striker presumably completed a medical as a formality before being named as the latest high-profile football player to transfer to the Middle East.
However, Foot Mercato reports that Ziyech’s medical has caused the pending transfer to be in jeopardy.
Concerns regarding the transfer came from Cristiano Ronaldo’s team’s camp after a medical examination of the Dutch-born athlete reportedly revealed knee problems.
The former Ajax player could have teamed up with five times Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, a legendary forward for Portugal if he had made the move.
Paris Saint-Germain had discovered the same issue during their loan acquisition of the player in the January transfer window, but following further testing, the Ligue 1 club was eager to proceed with the deal.
Ultimately, the transfer fell through because of a last-minute paperwork mix-up on Chelsea’s end, adding to Ziyech’s mounting frustrations in the latter weeks of the season.
The day Al-Nassr received the shocking medical report on Ziyech was the same day they agreed to pay £20 million for Marcelo Brozovic, a midfielder for Inter Milan.
The Croatian national team player has signed a three-year deal with the Gulf state for 86 million pounds.
Should Ziyech complete his £37 million transfer from Chelsea to Saudi Arabia, he would end his three-year stint in West London.
Hakim Ziyech with Chelsea
After spending £34 million to acquire Ziyech from Ajax three years ago, high hopes were set for the forward’s future success.
Despite an impressive performance for the Atlas Lions at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Ziyech has seen limited playing time during Chelsea’s most recent season.
He was apparently close to agreeing on a move that would provide him with a new beginning in the Middle East.
Ziyech showed potential at times during his 107 appearances for the club, but he was never able to maintain the level of play that initially attracted the Premier League club to him.
Ziyech scored 14 goals and provided 13 assists across all competitions with the Blues, which earned him a Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup.
Ziyech and Sofyan Amrabat, a midfielder for Fiorentina, both contributed significantly during Morocco’s 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign.
After stunning victories over Belgium, Spain, and Portugal, the North African team ended in fourth place at the World Cup in Qatar.
His play in the World Cup was impressive enough for PSG to make a loan offer during the January transfer window, but things didn’t go according to plan.
Unfortunately, Chelsea missed the deadline because they were preoccupied with a £106 million purchase of Enzo Fernandez.
Hakim Ziyech’s contract with Chelsea
Ziyech joined the Blues from Ajax in the summer of 2020 on a 33.3 million pounds contract and put pen to paper on a five-year contract after an eye-catching performance for Ajax during their 2019/2020 UEFA Champions League campaign.
Hakim Ziyech’s current contract with the Blues will expire in the summer of 2025 which will end his £100,000 per week deal at the London club.
On the other hand, When Mauricio Pochettino replaced Frank Lampard as Blues coach, he inherited a roster that was severely overstocked.
In preparation for the upcoming season, he must now cut back on personnel while simultaneously adding competent replacements.
The transfer cost for England midfielder Mason Mount has reportedly been agreed upon by Manchester United, Mount would join the club’s recent addition following Mateo Kovacic’s move to Manchester City.
What’s next for Hakim Ziyech?
The 30-year-old will look forward to working things out with Chelsea in other to secure his move to Saudi Arabia where he will be granted more playing time.
