Thomas Tuchel starts Hakim Ziyech for the Southampton game tonight as the Chelsea boss makes a brave decision for the Premier League game week five clash.
Ziyech has found himself playing a role from the bench so far in the early knockings of 2022/21. This led to suggestions that he, alongside other fringe squad players, could find themselves as surplus to requirements for this newly looked Blues outfit. Callum Hudson-Odoi completed his season-long loan move to Bayer Leverkusen in the early parts of Tuesday, whilst Christian Pulisic found out that he was to remain put for the season with new owner Todd Boehly denying his fellow countryman his wish, which will not go down with the USMNT set-up ahead of the Qatar World Cup kick-off in November.
Unfortunately for the 29-year-old, he's now set to follow Pulisic's example but not because of Boehly himself. In fact, it is Ajax that has seemingly decided to opt for a cheaper option as they aim to use the £86m generated from Antony's sale on a cost-efficient option. Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano confirmed: 'Ajax and Sevilla are closing in on Lucas Ocampos deal, he's been the main target for days as Hakim Ziyech deal has never been close.
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'Domino ongoing with Sevilla working on Adnan Januzaj as winger… and Ajax also working on Odysseas Vlachodīmos as new GK.'
He then added in a further tweet:' Sevilla are set to sign Adnan Januzaj! Been told Adnan will arrive in Sevilla tonight in order to discuss the final details and then sign on Wednesday on a free transfer. Januzaj will replace Ocampos, who's heading to Ajax on a permanent deal.'
The main reason for Ajax's snub of their former player is due to Chelsea's asking price during negotiations. Rumour has it that the Amsterdam-based club only wanted a loan deal whilst the West London outfit preferred a permanent sale at the £25million price range. Something that has led to the breakdown of these talks with how little time remains in this summer transfer window.
Does Ziyech now stay, or could a move elsewhere amid previous AC Milan links re-appear back on the table with the clock ticking down?
Well, Tuchel has now made his stance known on where he stands on seeing his number 22 potentially depart. This is because the German hands the Moroccan his first start of the season on the South Coast against Southampton in this first round of midweek fixtures, football.london understands.
Who he comes in for remains a mystery, but some rotation is set to occur with West Ham and Dinamo Zagreb fast approaching over the next few days. The big question now for all to consider is whether or not Ziyech potentially staying could harm any deal in the makingfor Wilfried Zaha or Neymar.
Chelsea fans- Would you be happy for Hakim Ziyech to stay put this summer? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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