{"id":1085564,"date":"2019-04-24T12:12:20","date_gmt":"2019-04-24T11:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1085564"},"modified":"2019-05-18T13:59:16","modified_gmt":"2019-05-18T12:59:16","slug":"where-next-amsterdam-ace-hakim-ziyech-ajax","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/where-next-amsterdam-ace-hakim-ziyech-ajax\/","title":{"rendered":"Where next for Hakim Ziyech if Ajax decide to sell?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ajax marvel Hakim Ziyech has shot to prominence this season and could be set for a big-money move across the continent.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A number of elite clubs are reportedly tracking the progress of the Moroccan magician after his influential performances helped catapult Ajax to a domestic double and Champions League semi-final berth.<\/p>\n

Ziyech’s\u00a0wonderment from out wide has already ruthlessly exposed Real Madrid\u00a0\u2013 with his two goals across both legs in the quarter-finals eliminating the European champions\u00a0\u2013 while his exploits\u00a0in the shadow of the Alps has also sent Juventus packing.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/audioboom.com\/posts\/7259525-if-guardiola-s-to-be-believed-liverpool-lost-the-league-with-one-result<\/p>\n

With a 21-goal haul and 24 assists to his name across all competitions this season, Ziyech has proven himself a priceless commodity in the Dutch capital, but the makers and shakers at some of world football’s leading clubs will tell you that every player has his price.<\/p>\n

Sporting director Marc Overmars, as he did last summer, has given Ziyech his blessing and that he’s free to leave if the right offer comes and the player in question is happy with his prospective new club.<\/p>\n

Ziyech, though, has already hinted that he could yet remain at the Johan Cruijff ArenA beyond the summer, but reports<\/a> suggest clubs are already lining up to lock horns for his signature.<\/p>\n

Should a move come to fruition and the Dronten-born winger leave\u00a0the comforts of his homeland for pastures new, where could he end up?<\/p>\n

Dream: Manchester City<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As always, Pep Guardiola will be in the market for new signings. Despite boasting a squad replete with world-class talent, the perfectionist will be incensed by his side’s European exit and will ultimately look for solutions; the answers will no doubt be in the transfer market.<\/p>\n

As such, Ziyech could offer the Catalan coach an opportunity to bring in a player without splashing the usual circa \u00a350m.<\/p>\n

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With David Silva and Fernandinho reaching their twilight years, and doubts emerging over the futures of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez, Guardiola may need fresh faces as he looks to achieve European supremacy next term.<\/p>\n

Gundogan’s contract expires next season, and last month he hinted at a possible departure from the Etihad: “There is no decision yet, otherwise I would have signed or rejected a contract.<\/p>\n

“Everyone feels different. Maybe someone has an inner feeling in his self to go for a new challenge or to change something. I’m always open-minded for challenges.”<\/p>\n

The grace of Ziyech’s movement would certainly replace that of Gundogan, and he could thrive under the precocious coaching talents of Guardiola, taking his game to a whole new level.<\/p>\n

Dream: Bayern Munich<\/strong><\/h2>\n

With the old guard heading for the exit doors in Bavaria, Niko Kovac will need to find suitable replacements to alleviate the departures of both Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery – who could be heading for Qatar<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So this summer could mark the end of an era at the Allianz Arena, and the acquisition of Ziyech would go a long way to heralding the start of a new age in Munich.<\/p>\n

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Despite sitting atop the Bundesliga table, Kovac has endured a\u00a0somewhat tentative start to his tenure in the Bavarian dugout, which – for a club of Bayern’s stature – will likely indicate a summer overhaul, one during which wide players will be high up on the agenda.<\/p>\n

Serge Gnabry has proven an astute signing, but\u00a0Kingsley Coman is simply far too injury-prone, while teenage tyro Alphonso Davies is still acclimatising to the demands of top-flight European football since relocating from Vancouver Whitecaps in January.<\/p>\n

In Ziyech, Kovac would have his hands on a sophisticated winger of cunning and outstanding balance. But not only that, with Renato Sanches recently expressing his eagerness to leave<\/a>\u00a0Bayern, the versatile Moroccan would bring some necessary depth to the Bayern squad.<\/p>\n

Squawka Suggests: Bayern Munich<\/strong><\/p>\n

Both clubs are guaranteed Champions League football next season, so this decision boils down to a question of game time.<\/p>\n

At 26, this is a vital career phase for the Ajax man to make the next step in his career.\u00a0There is no question any player would want to learn under Guardiola, but there are no guarantees of a starting berth at City. Just ask Riyad Mahrez.<\/p>\n

With Bayern in desperate need of wide players, a move to Germany makes more sense.<\/p>\n

Realistic: Manchester United<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Red Devils are teetering on the brink of collapse after capitulating in the final weeks of the Premier League season, and so the emphasis on a summer rebuild has enhanced tenfold.<\/p>\n

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may very well oversee the exodus of a number of Gary Neville’s ‘unnameables’, which would mean the 13-time Premier League champions are already exploring viable candidates to inject fresh impetus into the club.<\/p>\n

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READ MORE:<\/span> Five Man Utd players letting Ole Gunnar Solskjaer down<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Despite their current predicament, the North West club are still one of the most alluring destinations in world football, and Ziyech could flourish under the paternalistic tutelage of the Norwegian tactician.<\/p>\n

With Juan Mata potentially leaving on a free this summer and Ander Herrera already gone, as well as question marks over Anthony Martial’s capacity to be a consistent threat across the campaign, Ziyech’s technical ability would go a long way to plugging those creative gaps.<\/p>\n