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Chelsea are reluctant to do business with Premier League rivals Newcastle United over a loan deal for Hakim Ziyech, according to the Evening Standard.
Chelsea have had a busy winter transfer window so far, having added six new players to their ranks. They have signed Joao Felix (loan), Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Nono Madueke, David Datro Fofana, and Andrey Santos so far.
The Blues intend to further strengthen their squad and reportedly want at least two more signings before the end of the month. They are thus said to be preparing for a frantic end to the window.
However, the London giants might also have to put some effort into reducing the size of their squad in the final stretch of the window. They are currently facing the prospect of having to remove a few players from their UEFA Champions League squad to register new ones.
Ziyech has been mooted as a potential candidate to move away from Stamford Bridge in the coming days. According to the aforementioned source, he is prepared to leave the club if he receives a suitable offer.
The Morocco international joined Chelsea from Dutch giants Ajax for €40 million in 2020. However, the transfer has not gone according to plan for him as he has struggled to establish himself as a regular for the club.
Newcastle is claimed to be prepared to offer Ziyech an escape route from Stamford Bridge this month. They have been credited with an interest in signing the attacker on loan.
The Blues, though, are hesitant to allow the former Ajax star to join the Magpies on loan, as per the report. They are seemingly unwilling to strengthen their direct top-four rivals at this point in the season.
Newcastle is above Chelsea in the table
Chelsea reportedly view Newcastle as their direct rival since they were bought by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund last year. It is also worth noting that the Magpies are placed above the Blues in the Premier League table.
Graham Potter's side finds themselves sitting 10th in the table with just 29 points from 20 matches. The Tyneside-based club, on the other hand, is placed third in the standings with 39 points to their name.
It thus remains to be seen if Newcastle can convince the London giants to let Ziyech join them on loan. The Moroccan has notably attracted transfer interest from other clubs, including Serie A outfit AS Roma.
