Chelsea could confirm the signing of Hakim Ziyech by the end of the week, with the Blues close to reaching an agreement worth around £38million with the Eredivisie club for the Moroccan. Marina Granovskaia has moved quickly to try and wrap up the deal after a January offer was rebuffed.
The club missed the chance to sign Ziyech for just £25m last summer, with Ajax director Marc Overmars confirming the player’s release clause at the end of last season.
However the opportunity went begging when Ziyech signed a one-year contract extension last August which saw the bargain clause eliminated.
That hasn’t put Chelsea off though, with Frank Lampard particularly impressed by his performances in the Champions League group stages earlier this season.
A verbal agreement has been reached with the player but there are still a few details to be ironed out before he signs his contract.
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Nick Pope has currently been identified as the man to replace Kepa Arrizabalaga, with Lampard already having decided he wants to offload the world’s most expensive keeper.
The Chelsea boss dropped Kepa for Willy Caballero in the recent 2-2 draw at Leicester.
His place in the side is now under threat with Lampard growing impatient following a host of blunders this season from the £71.6m man.
Ben Chilwell is also on the club’s radar as they look to bring in a new first-choice left-back.
Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri are both attracting interest from Inter Milan and therefore could be offloaded in the summer to raise funds.
Lampard is a big fan of Chilwell and has made that clear by liking a series of posts relating to his on-field performances on his Instagram in the past year.
Chelsea are unlikely to pursue Wilfried Zaha anymore as Crystal Palace hold firm on their £70m asking price.
Jadon Sancho, though, is firmly under consideration with Borussia Dortmund set to sell this summer.
Manchester United are also in the hunt though and Old Trafford chiefs are also monitoring Chelsea’s top striker target Moussa Dembele.
The Frenchman was told last month that he would have to wait until the end of the season to seal a move away from Lyon.
Lampard is well aware of his goalscoring pedigree on British shores, with Dembele boasting an impressive record at both Fulham and Celtic.
Samuel Chukwueze of Villarreal and Fyodor Chalov of CSKA Moscow have both been identified as cheaper alternatives.
Chelsea look set to let both Pedro and Willian leave the club on the expiry of their contract in June, which will leave the door open for two new attackers.
