Hakim Ziyech is not expected to return to Chelsea this summer, as his loan to Turkish giants Galatasaray is set to become a permanent deal, according to a report.
Chelsea invested £34m in acquiring the Moroccan winger from Ajax in 2020, and despite helping the club to a Champions League title, he struggled to nail down a regular starting place with the Blues.
In August last year, Ziyech was sent on a season-long loan to Galatasaray, where he has notched up eight goals and four assists in 21 appearances across all competitions this term.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano via X, formerly known as Twitter, the Turkish outfit have triggered the obligation to buy clause, and Chelsea have confirmed the agreement.
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Galatasaray agree permanent move for Ziyech from Chelsea
It is understood that Chelsea are likely to incur a significant loss on the sale of the player, having originally agreed to a £4m fee for the Super Lig side to take him on loan.
Nevertheless, Ziyech is on a £100,000 per week deal at Chelsea and the move will allow the club to get him off their wage bill and potentially use the funds to bring in fresh faces in the summer transfer window.
The 31-year-old scored 14 goals in 107 appearances during his time in London and fell out of favour during Graham Potter's reign.
Before making the move to Istanbul, Ziyech attempted to secure a loan move to Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain in January last year, but the deal fell through at the last moment on deadline day.
It was reported that Chelsea failed to respond to calls from the French champions in the final hour of the transfer window before sending incomplete documentation, which led to the deal collapsing.
Ziyech began his career at Heerenveen before earning himself moves to FC Twente and eventually Ajax, where he played 219 matches and scored 79 goals while providing 97 assists.
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Ziyech among several players on the move away from Stamford Bridge
The Moroccan international is just one of several players who could depart Chelsea this summer.
Thiago Silva has already confirmed that he will be leaving the club at the end of the current campaign, while the futures of Ian Maatsen, Trevoh Chalobah, Armando Broja and Conor Gallagher, among others, are still up in the air.
Chelsea are in the running to secure European qualification for next season, currently in seventh place in the Premier League standings, two points behind sixth-placed Newcastle United.
Gala, on the other hand, are six points clear at the top of the Super Lig and just one win away from securing the title with three games left to play.
Devesh Jaganath
