AC Milan are reportedly preparing to make an opening bid for Chelsea attacker Hakim Ziyech.
The Morocco international has consistently struggled to adapt to the demands of English football since arriving at Stamford Bridge from Ajax in the summer of 2020.
The Blues forked out €40m (£34.5m) to bring Ziyech to the club, and the 29-year-old has since won the Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup with the West London giants.
Ziyech has also posted 14 goals and 10 assists from 92 games in a Chelsea shirt, but he has been a bit-part player under Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter this term.
The former Ajax man has failed to bag a goal or assist in nine appearances in the 2022-23 season, making just one start in the Premier League and one in the EFL Cup.
Ziyech has also played just 54 minutes of Champions League football in three substitute appearances, and he is widely expected to head elsewhere in the summer of 2023.
Milan were strongly linked with a swoop for the Moroccan over the summer, but a move did not come to fruition as the Italian champions signed Charles de Ketelaere instead.
However, the Rossoneri have been expected to reignite their interest in January, and according to Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan are ready to table their first offer.
The report claims that Stefano Pioli's side will propose a loan deal with an option to buy for €15m (£12.9m) but Ziyech will need to accept a wage decrease to move to San Siro.
The attacker is believed to be earning €6m (£5.2m) per year at Stamford Bridge, but Milan can only offer him between €4m (£3.4m) and €4.5m (£3.9m).
Ziyech is contracted to Chelsea until the summer of 2025, but the Blues are not expected to stand in his way of an exit if a suitable offer arrives over the winter.
The ex-Heerenveen and FC Twente youngster has impressed at the World Cup for Morocco, scoring one goal and setting up one more in four games to help his side reach the quarter-finals for the first time ever.
Ziyech will be expected to start for the Atlas Lions when they meet Portugal in Saturday's quarter-final, as they aim to become the first African team in history to reach the semi-finals.
Amid reports of a possible exit for Ziyech, Chelsea are believed to have agreed a deal to bring RB Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku to the club for a £52m fee next year.
The Blues were also one of several clubs interested in 16-year-old Palmeiras starlet Endrick, but the teenager is now understood to have verbally agreed a move to Real Madrid. body check tags ::
