Tottenham Hotspur want Hakim Ziyech and are targeting talks with Chelsea over a possible deal later this week.
Tottenham look likely to offload Bryan Gil to Valencia with another loan spell in Spain on the cards for Gil.
However, Tottenham want a replacement for Gil before letting him leave, meaning wingers and wide playmakers are the priority.
We have seen Daniel James, Adama Traore and Ruslan Malinovskyi all linked with that role, but Tottenham may now seek a deal with Chelsea.
Tottenham Hotspur want Hakim Ziyech
Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad report that Tottenham have set their sights on signing Chelsea ace Hakim Ziyech.
It’s stated that Ziyech wants to leave Chelsea this summer and the Blues are happy for him to go.
The Moroccan ace has spoken directly with Ajax as the Amsterdam club seek to bring their former star back to the Eredivisie.
Yet Tottenham could now rival Ajax for his signature this week, with Spurs seeking talks with Chelsea over a deal.
Whether Chelsea would deal with Tottenham is another matter; the bitter rivalry between the two clubs hardly points towards transfer dealings.
Tottenham have also shown an interest in Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah though and may hope to sign a couple of Blues players before next week’s transfer deadline.
You can certainly understand how Tottenham came to want both Malinovskyi and Ziyech.
Both can operate as number 10’s or drift in from the right, both have devastating ability on their left foot when given chance and both can score from long range.
The two are a similar age profile too at 29 and Ziyech has been hailed as ‘top class’ by former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard.
It’s noted that Tottenham are more capable of paying Ziyech’s £100,000-a-week wages, but Ajax are hoping the lure of guaranteed first-team football helps them win the race.
Ziyech would ultimately come in as competition for Dejan Kulusevski rather than as a nailed-on starter, meaning Ajax will still have hope of beating Tottenham to his signature.
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