Hakim Ziyech’s agent Mustapha Nakhli said his client had received offers from several top clubs before the pre-transfer agreement with Chelsea.
When Chelsea announced the 27-year-old’s summer transfer in February, it was surely a surprise, even for the club’s fans.
The reported £37m fee the Blues would have to pay Ajax for Ziyech is relatively cheap in the transfer market (pre-pandemic).
Another thing that was a bit odd was Chelsea seemed to seal the transfer without much competition from other top clubs.
Ziyech has arguably been Ajax’s best attacker since he arrived in 2016 and especially his performance in the Champions League, surely attracted interests from top clubs.
And his agent has now revealed that Chelsea were actually not the only interested party.
Nahkli told Voetbal International: “Hakim is a senior player, a real leader now. He also knows very well what he can do and where he wants to go.
“That is why we waited a long time with a transfer, so the right club with the right story did not pass by.
“We have rejected really large European clubs. Not just Sevilla.
“There were clubs in November that wanted to take Hakim during the winter break, I’ve never flown so much.
“But in the end, we didn’t have a good feeling about that.”
The agent also said he first had a conversation with Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia about the potential move.
He added: “Chelsea also sees a leader in Hakim, they praised his personality. The first conversation between Frank Lampard and Hakim took place over the phone at my office.
“They clicked. Hakim is a feeling person so if it feels right, it is also good.”
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