One of the stars for Ajax in their superb campaign where they won the Dutch league title, the Dutch Cup and reached the Champions League semi-final has been Morrocan attacking midfielder Hakim Ziyech. There were some rumblings that he may leave the club and now Ajax have confirmed that he will be allowed to leave the Dutch club in the summer.
“He leaves when a top club comes. He is in focus because of his achievements in the Champions League. Many big clubs are buzzing around him. We promised Hakim [that we would] agree to a good transfer,” said the club’s sporting director Marc Overmars.
The talented attacker has a release clause of just £25 million, which has alerted Liverpool, one among a host of teams interested in signing the 26-year-old.
Ziyech had a fabulous year for the Dutch club, scoring 19 times and setting up 16 goals for his teammates in the season. Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund are also keen on signing Ziyech in the summer.
Why the Reds should pounce to sign Ziyech?
Ziyech is a skilful, quick and direct player that will give defenders nightmares whenever he has the ball at his feet. The left-footed player usually plays on the right, drifting inside to create chances and take shots at goal. He has phenomenal close control and his dribbling is top-notch, and his quick acceleration can help him get away from the opposition in no time.
Similar to Mohamed Salah in a lot of ways, Ziyech probably has a few more tricks up his sleeve when taking on defenders, and his directness usually causes problems. The Moroccan is not just a player who dribbles and runs past players, but can also pick accurate short and long passes, as well take shots from distance.
While Ziyech may find it difficult to displace Salah in the Liverpool team, if he does make the switch to Merseyside, he will be a great option to bring off the bench, or even play behind the striker as a central attacking midfielder. At £25 million, Ziyech is a steal and has the talent, technique and temperament to light up the Premier League.
