Hakim Ziyech's proposed move from Chelsea to Al-Nassr is reportedly on the verge of collapsing after the Moroccan failed two medicals.
Having struggled to get into the good books of Thomas Tuchel, Frank Lampard and Graham Potter, Ziyech is widely expected to end his Stamford Bridge stint this summer.
The 30-year-old appeared to be set for a switch to Saudi Arabia, with Al-Nassr agreeing terms with Ziyech over a three-year deal until the end of the 2025-26 season.
However, CBS - via Tribal Football - now claims that Ziyech's transfer could end up falling through, as the Saudi giants uncovered hip and knee problems during his medical.
Ziyech apparently failed his first medical on Thursday, but Al-Nassr quickly rescheduled a fresh batch of examinations for Friday in the hope of salvaging a deal.
© Reuters
The second round of tests did not ease Al-Nassr's fears, though, and the report adds that the Saudi side are now resigned to missing out on the ex-Ajax man.
In a last-ditch attempt to push a move through, Al-Nassr have supposedly offered Ziyech a deal with a substantially lower wage packet, but he is expected to reject that proposal.
The winger's Saudi Arabian disappointment comes six months after a deadline-day January move to Paris Saint-Germain broke down, apparently due to administrative errors on Chelsea's side.
After Ziyech had arrived in Paris and completed a medical in anticipation of a loan move going through, Chelsea allegedly sent over the wrong documents, and also submitted them after the deadline.
PSG subsequently failed with an appeal to the Ligue de Football Professionnel - France's governing body - and Ziyech returned to Chelsea for the second half of the 2022-23 season.
© Reuters
It remains to be seen what next lies in store for the Morocco international, as PSG are not expected to reignite their interest due to the imminent arrival of Marco Asensio from Real Madrid.
Roma and AC Milan were previously linked with a move for Ziyech, but the Chelsea attacker's wage demands apparently led to both Serie A sides withdrawing their interest.
The 30-year-old has amassed 14 goals and 13 assists in 107 matches for Chelsea since joining from Ajax in 2020, winning the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.
Ziyech remains under contract with Chelsea for another two years, but he did not find the back of the net at all last season, only managing three assists in 24 matches and starting just six Premier League games.
While Ziyech's exit has seemingly fallen through, Chelsea have successfully offloaded N'Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy to Saudi Arabia, while also balancing the books through the sales of Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
