Manchester United have finally granted Erik ten Hag’s one of the transfer wishes as they are ready to bid for Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech, reports journalist Nabil Djellit. After Lisandro Martinez, Ten Hag could now be reunited with Ziyech, with whom he enjoyed a dominating period at Ajax. While United were earlier linked with Ziyech as well, they cooled-off their interest after doubts over his below-par Premier League stint with the Blues.
However, Ten Hag is willing to reunite with Ziyech at Old Trafford whom he coached at Ajax. He already has endured a torrid start to the Premier League campaign with United, losing back-to-back game against Brighton and Brentford. Moreover, the Bees hammered them 4-0 to add to their embarrassment. Ten Hag now wants to bolster his attack which has only scored a goal across two games.
Manchester United prepping offer for Ziyech as Chelsea are willing to sell him
Hakim Ziyech has evidently not enjoyed his time at Stamford since making a £36 million switch from Ajax in the summer of 2020. He has so far made 83 appearances for the Blues, tallying a mere 14 goals and 10 assists. As a result, Ziyech has often found himself out of the starting eleven under Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel.
On the other hand, despite Ziyech failing to make a mark in the Premier League Erik ten Hag feels he can get him back to his Ajax days. The Moroccan had flourished at the Dutch side, racking up 49 goals and 81 assists in just 165 games. Furthermore, out of those 165 outings, Ziyech played a century of games under Ten Hag, amassing 88 goal contributions [35 goals, 53 assists].
Ten Hag needs attacking reinforcements direly at the moment, given his star forward Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave the club and Anthony Martial sidelined due to injury. The Dutchman wants Hakim Ziyech to join his ranks since Chelsea too are keen to offload their wide player.
While Manchester United initially were hesitant to go for the 29-year-old given his inability to deliver in the physically demanding Premier League, they could well grab the opportunity to land him now. A potential deal could then see Ziyech follow in the footsteps of Ajax center-back Lisandro Martinez, who once again joined hands with Ten Hag switching sides for a whopping £50 million. According to multiple reports, Chelsea are ready to part ways with Ziyech for a fee as minimum as £8 million.
Furthermore, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claimed last month that Italia champions AC Milan are leading the race to sign Ziyech this summer. However, a deal is off since the Rossoneris are looking at other options as well. Chelsea on the other hand have acquired Raheem Sterling from Manchester City which has further out Ziyech’s place at Stamford Bridge in jeopardy.
Manchester United could snap up the winger for a bargain here if they seriously pursue a deal before the deadline day of September 1. Moreover, with deals for Adrien Rabiot and Frenkie de Jong almost falling apart, the Red Devils need some strong signings before the window shuts if they are to experience a turn in fortunes.