Chelsea fringe player Hakim Ziyech is finally set to seal a move away from the club to Galatasaray after a number of failed transfers, according to a tweet from journalist Fabrizio Romano.

While the move seems to be progressing well, it is shrouded in a blanket of uncertainty, following the collapse of Ziyech’s previous attempts to escape Stamford Bridge for PSG and Al Nassr both hit the rocks.

Currently, it is unclear as to how much Galatasaray will pay Chelsea to secure the services of the Moroccan international, but the two clubs have reportedly reached a verbal agreement regarding his sale.

In Romano’s tweet, he wrote: “Chelsea have reached verbal agreement in principle with Galatasaray for Hakim Ziyech transfer. Deal subject to further details and also medical tests — as Chelsea are careful after twists with PSG and Al Nassr.”

Does Hakim Ziyech still have a place in the Chelsea team?

Currently, it is difficult to argue a case for Ziyech remaining at Chelsea. Not only does he seem uninterested in staying at the club any longer, there are also plenty of better – not to mention younger – talents ahead of him in the pecking order.

With players such as Noni Madueke, Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk currently at the club, Ziyech’s playing time would be limited at best should he choose to remain in the team.

He is by no means a lacklustre player – he possesses wonderful technical ability, an underrated range of passing and excellent dribbling, but there are simply stronger players that Mauricio Pochettino can choose from.

Which other players do the Blues need to offload?

Since Todd Boehly took the reins at Chelsea, the Blues have been on what seems like a non-stop spending spree. This has led to their squad becoming bloated in several different areas of the pitch.

Notably, Chelsea have four first-team left-backs in their arsenal. This is one too many, in our opinion – they could stand to lose one of them. Their best option would probably be to sell Marc Cucurella, who has been a distinct disappointment since his move to the club.

Additionally, Romelu Lukaku has repeatedly expressed his desire to leave Chelsea – the biggest challenge in this regard is finding a team that would be willing to take him on and pay his wages.