Hakim Ziyech could be on his way out of Chelsea after just one season at Stamford Bridge, according to a report in Italy.
The Morocco international sealed a deal to sign for the Blues in February last year and joined up with his new team-mates in the summer as Chelsea splashed over £200m on new players.
Their abundance of options in attacking positions – as well as his injury record – has seen his time on the pitch limited with just 12 Premier League starts all season.
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Ziyech has managed eight starts under new boss Thomas Tuchel in all competitions, with the 28-year-old visibly unhappy about being substituted in their recent match against West Brom after only 33 minutes.
It was a tactical substitution with Thiago Silva’s sending off leaving Chelsea up against it as they lost 5-2 to relegation-threatened West Brom.
Ziyech was only afforded seven minutes on the pitch against Crystal Palace in their last Premier League match and now Italian website Calciomercato claims the winger could leave the club this summer.
The report claims that Thomas Tuchel ‘has been less patient with some of the new signings strongly desired by his predecessor’ compared with the likes of Antonio Rudiger, Jorginho and Cesar Azpilicueta.
And they describe Ziyech as the ‘most fitting example’ of that treatment and that he is ‘one of the players most affected by the changing of the guard and could leave the Blues at the end of the season’.
The report adds that Ziyech has been ‘penalised’ by Tuchel’s use of the 3-4-2-1 formation and the German boss’ preference for playing compatriots such as Timo Werner and Kai Havertz.
Meanwhile, transfer expert Ian McGarry claims that Chelsea “intend to sell” Ziyech this summer for the right price.
McGarry said: “It is our information that Chelsea intend to sell this summer. They invested heavily, around £230 million, last summer in rebuilding and of course recruiting to the squad.
“It is our information that a very well-known agent has been asked to market certain players. The most prominent being Hakim Ziyech who of course has not been at the club very long.
“However, Thomas Tuchel believes that the squad is top heavy in attacking midfielders. He feels that Ziyech is probably the most expendable. They’re looking to recoup some of the investment in him.”
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