Out-of-favour Chelsea star keen to leave his mark at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar

Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech is keen to pass his AC Milan audition at the World Cup in Qatar

According to footballitalia (h/t Football.London), Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech is highly motivated to do his best in the World Cup to convince Serie A champions AC Milan to pull the trigger on a deal to sign him in January.

Ziyech, who retired from international football in February after the African Cup of Nations, has been reinstated in the Morocco side to feature in the world tournament in Qatar.

The winger has had a struggle since joining the Blues in the summer of 2020. He has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in and since the summer transfer window. In the last few weeks, according to Metro, Milan’s representatives did have discussions with his entourage to crack a deal.

Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech is keen to pass his AC Milan audition at the World Cup in Qatar.
Hakim Ziyech is keen to do well in the World Cup to complete his AC Milan move. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

Morocco has a tough group with Croatia, Belgium and Canada in it. If they are to go through to the knockout rounds, Ziyech would have to be at his best in the final third.

The 29-year-old hasn’t had much game time to gain rhythm ahead of such a big tournament. In total, he has played nine times for Chelsea in all competitions this season, amassing a mere 270 minutes on the field.

But, we know about his qualities and what he can do if given support and consistent game time. For some reason, it hasn’t happened at Chelsea under either manager, be it Thomas Tuchel, Frank Lampard or Graham Potter.

Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech is keen to pass his AC Milan audition at the World Cup in Qatar.
Hakim Ziyech has struggled for game time at Chelsea since his arrival.

He still has a contract with the Blues until the summer of 2025 (Transfermarkt). If the player has a good World Cup, the club can ask for a higher value than what they have done in the summer.

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It could turn out to be financially good for Chelsea and also fantastic for the player who now seems like wanting to leave west London sooner rather than later.