Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel wants to streamline his first-team squad, with Hakim Ziyech topping the list of players set to be axed, according to Ian McGarry.

Speaking on the Transfer Window Podcast, the journalist said that due to the sheer number of attacking options available to Tuchel, the £38m summer signing has been identified as one player they can do without:

“It is our information that a very well-known agent has been asked to market certain players, the most prominent being Hakim Ziyech who of course has not been at the club very long but Thomas Tuchel believes that the squad is top heavy in attacking midfielders and that Ziyech is probably the most expendable should they be able to recoup some of the investment in him.”

Whether McGarry’s information is accurate, we shall have to wait and see. Ziyech has risen to prominence in recent games, having scored crucial goals against both Atletico Madrid and Sheffield United.

However, since Tuchel’s arrival, the Moroccan international has been in and out of the side, with the switch to three at the back leaving the manager with fewer slots in attacking areas to fill.

If Ziyech continues his excellent recent form, though, it would make it very hard for Tuchel to offload him in the summer, leaving the manager looking for other players to trim from his squad.