VERY SAD NEWS has been announced for Chelsea FLOP and Outcast player Hakim Ziyech at Galatasaray this morning
Hakim Ziyech could return to Chelsea in January when Galatasaray allegedly terminates his loan agreement.
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Ziyech ultimately left Stamford Bridge last summer after attempted trades to PSG and the Saudi Pro League. He had fallen out of favour with former Blues managers Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.
Mauricio Pochettino approved his departure, but the offensive midfielder/winger’s loan move to Turkey has not gone as planned.
In 14 games, the 30-year-old has four goals and six assists, with half of those goals coming in a 3-3 draw with Manchester United in the Champions League.
However, niggling injuries and fitness difficulties have limited his impact and game time, which the club is naturally unhappy about.
To that end, Turkish news station NTV Spor reports, via the Daily Mail, that Galatasaray are ready to end his loan and return him to west London.
This should be taken with a grain of salt, as there are two major impediments that could prevent this from happening.
First and foremost, Ziyech will be gone at the Africa Cup of Nations for the duration of the January transfer window, having been called up to Morocco’s squad.
He’ll be working alongside Manchester United’s Sofyan Amrabat and PSG’s Achraf Hakimi to lead the Atlas Lions to their first AFCON title since 1976.
Second, there appears to be some uncertainty about the structure of his loan agreement, with Chelsea stating that Galatasaray have an obligation to buy Ziyech at the conclusion of the season for a cost estimated to be approximately £2.5 million.
Other reports, however, imply that it is only an option to buy, or even an obligation if specific circumstances are met.
If it’s the former, there’s minimal chance Ziyech will return, but if he does, it’ll be an unpleasant reunion given the player’s recent public criticism of club owner Todd Boehly.
Ziyech scored 14 goals and created 13 assists in 107 appearances with Chelsea, winning the Champions League, Club World Cup, and UEFA Super Cup, as well as reaching two FA Cup and one League Cup final.
