Ziyech was ‘close’ to Roma switch

Hakim Ziyech has confirmed that he was close to a move to Italian club Roma, claiming that he didn’t expect to be wearing the Ajax shirt again this season – but that he’s happy to be in the position that he’s in. Roma apparently made a bid worth €30 million for the 25-year-old midfielder, but that was said to be around €8 million less than what the Dutch club wanted.

Ziyech, who is a Morocco international, was born in the Netherlands and has spent the entirety of his professional career in the country. He stated that if he was going to leave Ajax then he wanted to make a giant leap in his career, and while Roma would serve as that leap to some people, perhaps Ziyech was holding out for something different in his own mind. Roma’s next game will come against Chievo in the aftermath of the current and ongoing international break.