Chelsea are reportedly ready to sanction a loan exit for Hakim Ziyech, with AC Milan emerging as a potential destination.
According to Calciomercato.it, Hakim Ziyech could be on the verge of leaving Chelsea in the upcoming January transfer window. The Chelsea attacker was keen on sealing an exit from Stamford Bridge even in the summer after struggling to make a name for himself under Thomas Tuchel.
While Chelsea blocked the move in the summer, it appears they are now open to offloading the playmaker in January, preferably on loan with an obligation to buy clause embedded in the contract. It has put AC Milan on red alert as the Italian giants continue to scour the market for attacking reinforcements next month.
Milan and Chelsea share an excellent partnership thanks to the recent transactions involving Tiemoue Bakayoko, Olivier Giroud and Fikayo Tomori. All three of the Chelsea stars had moved to San Siro in the summer either on loan or on a permanent deal. The Rossoneri have also recently been linked with a January swoop for defender Malang Sarr.
On the flip side, the Blues are among the clubs in contention to sign Milan’s midfield superstar Franck Kessie. However, Chelsea may need to act swiftly as recent reports suggest PSG and Tottenham Hotspur have already made a move to sign the Ivorian.
Nevertheless, Milan’s interest in Ziyech stems from the club’s desire to add more competition for the creative players. Not to mention, former Manchester City starlet Brahim Diaz has struggled with a lack of form, whereas their breakout sensation Rafael Leao has been linked with a move to Manchester City.
The addition of Ziyech, to that end, could be a sensible move for the Italian giants. With just six starts in the Premier League this season, the Moroccan international has clearly fallen down the pecking order. But his experience and talents could be useful at San Siro, although Stefano Pioli’s men may face stiff competition from Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund in the pursuit of the former Ajax starlet.
Ziyech might not be the only attacker leaving Stamford Bridge in January, though, with the Blues also prepared to offload Christian Pulisic next month amid interest from Barcelona. It appears Thomas Tuchel is truly prepared to filter out his squad after a relatively disappointing end to the year.