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Hakim Ziyech joins Galatasaray on loan from Chelsea.
Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech has officially been signed by Galatasaray on a temporary loan with the possibility of a permanent deal.
Ziyech was not included in Chelsea’s preseason squad as the Blues looked for a buyer, but their late-stage attempts to sell to a Saudi Arabian team failed.
Ziyech will now be loaned out to Galatasaray by Chelsea due to the lack of interest in his services.
In a statement, the Turkish team acknowledged that they had not paid a fee for the loan and that they had also agreed to negotiate Ziyech’s free move the following summer.
The 30-year-old still has two years left on his Chelsea deal, but it appears that Ziyech has played his last match for the club after being signed for more than £30 million in 2020.
Welcome to our family Hakim Ziyech! 💛❤️ pic.twitter.com/yrtHZymASo
— Galatasaray EN (@Galatasaray) August 19, 2023
As he seeks to trim down his roster, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was eager to see Ziyech permitted a move away from the club. Striker Romelu Lukaku is another well-known player for whom an exit must be found.
“I think 22, 23 players plus three, four or five players to use every week,” the boss revealed as his preferred squad size earlier this week. “We were using some young players from the academy yesterday and I was very surprised and happy about the performance and the quality. I think it’s very good. We can add some players but this number, 23, 22 or 23, seems perfect for the moment.
“We are not going to be involved in European competition, maybe next season if we are, this number is good also. To bring young guys from the academy to hopefully play from the first-team.”
Hakim Ziyech has completed a season-long loan to Galatasaray. ✍️
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 19, 2023