Chelsea playmaker Hakim Ziyech may reportedly miss out on a transfer to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr.
Throughout June, Ziyech has been one of a number of Blues players to be heavily linked with a switch to one of the Saudi Pro League teams that have been taken over by the Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly and N'Golo Kante have all linked up with Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad respectively, leaving Ziyech to finalise a switch to Al-Nassr, who have Cristiano Ronaldo in their ranks.
With a fee having been agreed between the clubs, the perception was that a deal was on the brink of completion, pending a medical.
However, journalist Santi Aouna reported on Thursday evening that Al-Nassr's staff had identified a knee problem with the Morocco international.
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At the time, Aouna claimed that Al-Nassr were now contemplating whether to withdraw their interest in a player who starred for his country at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
According to CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs, another "red flag" has been identified with Ziyech's hip, leading to serious doubt over whether a transfer will be completed.
Al-Nassr will now allegedly put Ziyech through further tests to determine whether they still intend to push through a deal, one which would be significant for all parties.
Bringing in Ziyech would be regarded as a major coup for the Saudi Pro League, another stellar name moving to one of their clubs as they bid to sign as many high-profile names as possible.
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From Chelsea's perspective, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital jumped at the chance to generate a reported £8m as they look to boost their FFP position by June 30, the final accounting day for 2022-23.
Ziyech is also eager to take on a new challenge after falling down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge, the 30-year-old already missing out on joining Paris Saint-Germain in January due to Chelsea officials allegedly making errors with the relevant paperwork.
As it stands, though, it appears that he faces the prospect of missing out on another desired transfer out of Chelsea, keeping him in a period of uncertainty.
Per Transfermrket, the only knee issue sustained by Ziyech during his stay at Chelsea came shortly after his arrival in 2020, and he has since made 107 appearances for the West Londoners in three years and played 18 times for Morocco between 2021 and 2023.
Darren Plant
