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Rabat – Football clubs Chelsea and Ajax Amsterdam have finally confirmed Moroccan Hakim Ziyech’s transfer deal at the end of the season.
The two clubs made the announcement on Thursday, February 13, on their respective websites and social media pages.
Ziyech, nicknamed “The Wizard of Amsterdam,” will move to the English giant in a €45 million deal. However, his personal terms include Chelsea’s promotion to the Champions League next season.
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Ajax Amsterdam made the announcement in a post entitled “5 More Months of Magic in Amsterdam,” with a photo of the Moroccan player.
The Dutch club also shared a montage of Ziyech’s best moments of his four-year stay at Ajax.
The deal comes after more than two years of failed negotiations between Ziyech’s manager and some of the biggest names in European football, including Bayern Munich, AS Roma, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Sevilla.
Chelsea’s manager, Frank Lampard, hoped to bring Ziyech to London in the winter transfer window. However, negotiations took too long.
Ziyech is a left-footed attacking midfielder who can play on both sides and deliver accurate crosses into the box. The 26-year-old has impressive awareness on the ball and is technically capable of executing difficult passes to break down defenses.
Born in Dronten, central Netherlands, Ziyech started his senior football career in 2012 at Dutch club Heerenveen. He moved to Twente in 2014, and then to Ajax in 2016. The upcoming move to the English Premier League would be Ziyech’s first experience outside of the Netherlands.
This season, the Champions League group stage draw pit Ajax against Chelsea. In the teams’ first encounter, in London, Ziyech shook Chelsea’s fans when he made three assists in a game that ended 4-4.
So far this season, Ziyech has scored nine goals in all competitions. He also supplied four assists in the Champions League competition alone, a number that no other player has yet broken.
