Manchester United are said to be taking the next step towards signing Hakim Ziyech, with Erik ten Hag known to be an admirer of the Chelsea forward. The 29-year-old has been thinly linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer amid an increasingly uncertain future under Thomas Tuchel.
Ziyech, who sees his contract with the Blues expire in 2025, started just 14 times in the Premier League last season, directly contributing towards seven goals. Despite a promising start to the campaign, a series of injuries saw the Moroccan quickly fall out of favour at Chelsea and has since been linked with an exit.
football.london understand that the west Londoners are open to selling Ziyech should a suitable offer be tabled. It's said that AC Milan have already made an offer of €25million (£21million) - €5million (£4.2millino) to be paid this year and €20million (£16.8million) the next - which was rejected.
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According to our sister site, the Manchester Evening News, Ten Hag is eager to bring Ziyech to Old Trafford. With the Italian giants' offer in mind and CIES Football Observatory valuing the winger at £25.3million, United could - naturally - be ushered into paying a steep fee by buying from a Premier League rival.
But, as mentioned, the Red Devils boss is a known admirer of Ziyech which could play a major role in whether a deal materialises or not. Speaking to Dutch Soccer Site in 2019 while at Ajax, Ten Hag said: "Hakim [Ziyech], the classic individualist, in the good sense of the word. You need him to make the difference and at times you need him in the team structure too. He can see the team cohesion and he sees the bigger picture.
"Whenever resistance is at its highest, Ziyech shines. We have many players who can create but in the final third, no one is as good as Hakim."
Then, when Ziyech left Ajax to join Chelsea, Ten Hag said: "Sometimes he is a trainer's nightmare, but you have to give him space."
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