Chelsea flop failing upward as move to LaLiga giants beckons

Former Chelsea midfielder Hakim Ziyech could join Sevilla as a free agent, according to Spanish media.

The Morocco international has endured a massive fall from grace since leaving Ajax for Chelsea in 2020. Formerly one of Europe’s most exciting attacking midfielders, Ziyech ultimately went down as a major flop in West London.

He joined Galatasaray on loan in the summer of 2023 and had his stay in Istanbul made permanent the following year. However, the 32-year-old swiftly fell out of favour.

Things came to a head over the winter when a frustrated Ziyech bluntly announced that he would never play for Galatasaray and coach Okan Buruk again, unsurprisingly resulting in a contract termination.

He moved to Al-Duhail in Qatar, but this sojourn didn’t last long either. His deal was terminated after just four months, leaving him once again free to pick his next club.

Ziyech still an option for Sevilla

Despite his rather unimpressive career trajectory in recent years, flagging LaLiga giants Sevilla have been courting him all summer. Financial issues have seen the Andalusians become a shadow of their former self.

At one point this summer, Ziyech was also in talks with promoted outfit Elche, who targeted some ambitious transfers during the window in a bid to stay up. Inaki Pena and Andre Silva joined from Barcelona and RB Leipzig, respectively, while a move for Man Utd full-back Tyrell Malacia collapsed at the final hurdle.

According to AS, a move to Sevilla is still possible for Ziyech, with club director Antonio Cordon recently revealing that he has set money aside for a late signing.

“We’ve left a small budget just in case, at the last minute, some player decides to significantly lower his salary and demands to come to the club. We’ve left it there,” he said, hinting that the door remains open for Ziyech.

Sevilla’s efforts to sign Ziyech have so far been frustrated by their inability to offload unwanted goalkeeper Alvaro Fernandez. If they can manage to get the Spaniard off the books, the midfielder could complete his move to LaLiga.

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