Ajax attacker Ziyech set for Chelsea

Ajax attacking midfielder Hakim Ziyech is set to move to Chelsea in the summer after the clubs agreed a deal in principal, a Dutch newspaper reported Wednesday.
The daily tabloid De Telegraaf said the Amsterdam powerhouse and the London club had agreed a fee believed to be around 45 million euros ($50 million) for the 26-year-old Dutch-born Moroccan.
“Ajax’s management reached an oral agreement over the past 24 hours with the top London club for the Moroccan attacker to make the switch in the summer,” the newspaper said.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard believed Ziyech “is a top player and such an essential reinforcement to his 11 that he gave the club instructions to have a deal done before the summer,” De Telegraaf said.
Clubs can agree and sign transfers outside the English Premier League’s January transfer window, but players may not be registered with new clubs until it opens again in the summer.
Ajax declined to comment on the report.
“As always we can’t comment on rumours. Any news will be reported through the official Ajax channels,” an Ajax spokesman told AFP.
Ajax is known for selling home-grown talent to richer European clubs. After last season, they sold Matthijs de Ligt to Juventus and Frenkie de Jong to Barcelona.