Hakim ZIyech has struggled with injuries at Galatasaray (Photo: Getty)
Hakim Ziyech could make a shock return to Chelsea in January as Galatasaray may reportedly terminate his loan deal early.
After failed transfers to PSG and the Saudi Pro League, Ziyech finally departed Stamford Bridge last summer having fallen out of favour with former Blues managers Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.
Mauricio Pochettino sanctioned his exit, but the attacking midfielder/winger’s loan move in Turkey has not been going to plan.
The 30-year-old has scored four goals and made six assists in 14 appearances, with half of those goal contributions coming in the 3-3 draw with Manchester United in the Champions League.
However niggling injuries and fitness issues have hampered his impact and limited his game time, something the club are understandably not best pleased by.
To that end, Turkish outlet NTV Spor, via the Daily Mail, report that Galatasaray are ready to end his loan and send him back to west London.
This should be taken with a pinch of salt however, as there are two big obstacles that could prevent this from happening.
Ziyech won the Champions League in his first season with Chelsea (Photo: Getty)
Firstly, Ziyech will be away at the Africa Cup of Nations throughout the January transfer window, having been called up to the Morocco squad.
He’ll be linking up with the likes Manchester United’s Sofyan Amrabat and PSG’s Achraf Hakimi as they aim to lead the Atlas Lions to their first AFCON triumph since 1976.
Secondly, there seems to be confusion over the nature of his loan deal, as Chelsea state that Galatasaray have an obligation to buy Ziyech at the end of the season, for a fee thought to be around £2.5m.
More: Trending
However, other reports suggest that it is actually just an option to buy, or perhaps even an obligation but only if certain conditions are met.
If it’s the former, there’s little chance Ziyech would return, but if he did it would be an awkward reunion as the player publicly criticised club owner Todd Boehly just last month.
Signed from Ajax in 2020 for £34million, Ziyech scored 14 goals and made 13 assists in 107 games for Chelsea, winning the Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup, and reaching two FA Cup and one League Cup final.
MORE : Chelsea join race to sign Manchester United and Tottenham top target Jean-Clair Todibo
MORE : Manchester City and England star Jack Grealish breaks silence on ‘traumatic’ home burglary
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.