Thomas Tuchel could be set to lose wantaway star Hakim Ziyech amid interest from Borussia Dortmund.
The Moroccan winger has failed to replicate the form that led Chelsea to splash out £33million to sign him from Ajax in 2020.
The 28-year-old was a prominent figure as the Dutch side made it all the way to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.
However, since moving to the Blues, Ziyech has only netted eight times in 49 appearances and has found himself out-of-favour under Tuchel following his appointment in January earlier this year.
It now appears as though Ziyech could well end his Chelsea nightmare, with a January move away heavily touted amid suggestions he is unhappy.
According to German publication BILD, the winger is keen to leave the London club having fallen down the pecking order and only featured in four Premier League matches this term.
Borussia Dortmund are reportedly keen on snapping up the former Ajax star in the upcoming transfer window as they look to bolster their attack.
The German side are believed to be on the lookout for a new wideman to provide for superstar forward Erling Haaland having sold Jadon Sancho to Manchester United for £73m in the summer and seen his replacement Donyell Malen fail to hit the ground running since joining from PSV.
Dortmund are currently second in the Bundesliga table, four points adrift of leaders Bayern Munich, and have a battle of their hands to secure Champions League football in the New Year after suffering recent back-to-back defeats to Ziyech’s former team Ajax in the group stage.
According to BILD, manager Marco Rose will meet with BVB consultant Matthias Sammer after their match with Hertha Berlin on December 18 to identify the club’s key transfer targets, with Ziyech reportedly among them.
The Moroccan’s current Chelsea contract doesn’t run out until 2025 so it is believed the Germans could look to bring Ziyech in on an initial loan deal.
Should Thomas Tuchel let Hakim Ziyech go in January? Comment below
During his Ajax days, the winger was prolific, scoring 40 goals and registering 52 assists as he helped the club to one league title during his four years in Amsterdam.
Following a freak shoulder injury in the European Super Cup back in August, Ziyech has only found the net once so far this season, scoring the only goal of the game as Chelsea edged past Malmo in the Champions League last month.
After the match, Tuchel urged the creative midfielder ‘to be more consistent’ following his first strike in almost three months.
“Could this help Ziyech kick on? Yes, but still I think there is space to improve in his decision making, connections on the pitch, where to be more consistent,” Tuchel stated after the match.
“We always rely on his work-rate, counter pressing, awareness. It is a huge part of his performances. He can still be more clinical and maybe grow more into the rhythm, but I think his shoulder injury hurt him a lot.
“Even if he pushed hard to come back early, he is not still 100 per cent free as he should be, especially the offensive players love their freedom of turning, but I am happy that if things get stuck, a goal like this will help the most. I am happy for him.”
