Ziyech suffers career setback as Romanian side snub UCL winner over wage demands

Former Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech has failed in his latest bid to reinvigorate his career after being snubbed by Romanian side CFR Cluj.

Ziyech signed for the Blues back in 2020, joining the Premier League side in a £37.8m move from Dutch giants Ajax.

It followed the winger being a key player in the Ajax side which reached the Champions League semi-finals in the 2018-19 campaign, as well as securing a domestic double.

The Moroccan made 107 appearances for Chelsea between 2020 to 2023, scoring 14 goals and providing 13 assists.

Ziyech was part of the Chelsea squad that won the Champions League in 2021, but did not play a minute of the final win over Man City.

He scored in the Blues win in the UEFA Super Cup the following season, but gradually fell out of contention at Stamford Bridge.

A proposed move to PSG collapsed over the submission of late documents before the transfer deadline in January 2023, while a switch to Al-Nassr the following summer also failed to materalise with the club blaming a knee injury - a claim Ziyech disputed.

Ziyech has since had a two-year spell at Galatasaray before his contract was terminated, while a short-lived move to Qatari side Al-Duhail ended after four months in May.

The winger, now 32, has been in talks with Romanian side CFR 1907 Cluj about joining the club on a free transfer.

Ioan Varga, the Romanian club's owner, has now revealed they have move on from talks with Ziyech, citing both a knee problem and his high wage demands.

'Ziyech failed, he has a problem in his left knee that I was informed about,' Varga told Romanian outlet Prosport.

'He's a very good guy, but I wouldn't risk that much money for a player who might have medical problems.

'I also studied him in the Galatasaray games, and he seemed to play with some fear.

'We have made the decision to withdraw from the talks. I'm sorry, because he's a special boy, but I don't want to risk it.

'He wanted 2.5 million euros a year, and I wouldn't have given this money to a player we risked not being able to use.

'I wish him to be healthy, and to be able to play for another team. We will look for another player who is healthy, and we are sure that he can help us.'

Cluj have been looking to invest in their squad, with the club having recently signed former Chelsea and West Ham defender Kurt Zouma.

The club have also brought in former Leicester forward Islam Slimani.

Cluj are currently 12th in the Romanian top flight, after finishing as runners-up last season.