Turkish club Galatasaray have struck a deal with Chelsea for their 30-year-old playmaker Hakim Ziyech.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Galatasaray have an agreement in place with Chelsea for the signatures of Hakim Ziyech. The Moroccan international’s future has been uncertain throughout the summer and he finally seems to have found a new club for himself.
Ziyech came into the limelight while playing for Ajax. The 30-year-old winger was a consistent performer who had proved his worth domestically as well as in the UEFA Champions League.
His heroics for the Dutch club resulted in a lot of interest from across Europe. Numerous clubs were interested in his services but he ended up joining Chelsea for €40 million in the summer of 2020. The Moroccan international was expected to reach new heights at the London club but his career has gone downhill since joining them.
Ziyech’s game time has gone down with each passing season and he hasn’t had the kind of impact everyone expected him to have. The 30-year-old winger was on fire in the FIFA World Cup 2022 last year. He was the mainstay of the Moroccan national team and helped them become the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the global event.
Despite his heroics in the World Cup, his game time at the Blues didn’t improve. He ended up featuring in just 29 matches last season and was on the pitch for less than 1,000 minutes. While there are two years still left on his deal, a move in the ongoing window is the only option for the 30-year-old.
He was close to joining PSG as well as Al-Nassr at different stages of the ongoing transfer window but both moves collapsed. The probability of a move in the ongoing window seemed very low and that is when Galatasaray entered the race for his services.
The Turkish club were on the look for a playmaker. They wanted to sign someone who could add creativity as well as goals and they seem to have found their man in Ziyech. They have been making moves to sign him for a while now and have finally agreed all terms with Chelsea.
The documents of the transfer are prepared only the final signatures are pending. The 30-year-old is expected to travel to Istanbul tonight and complete his move to the Turkish club.
