Chelsea agree to sign Hakim Ziyech in £38m transfer in massive blow to rivals Man Utd and Arsenal

CHELSEA have beaten rivals Manchester United and Arsenal in the race to land Ajax star Hakim Ziyech.

The Blues have agreed a verbal agreement for the Moroccan attacker to complete a £38million move this summer.

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Frank Lampard ordered the Stamford Bridge hierarchy to strike a deal for the 26-year-old at the end of the season after failing in the January transfer window.

However, Chelsea's condition of landing Ziyech may come down to whether they can secure Champions League football.

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The Blues are only two points clear of Sheffield United in fourth and the door is still open for other European sides to match their offer.

SunSport exclusively revealed Chelsea were ready to relaunch their bid to land Ziyech earlier this week after Lampard became frustrated with the lack of activity in January.

He went public with his disappointment at not adding to his squad after the Blues had worked hard to overturn a FIFA transfer ban.

Highly-rated Ziyech signed a new three year deal only last summer and also has Manchester United and Arsenal tracking him.

He was also placed among UEFA’S top 20 performers in the Champions League last season as Ajax went all the way to a thrilling semi final defeat to Tottenham.

Lampard wants more creativity and more goals from his team and Ziyech was one of the top names on his list for the previous transfer window.

Ziyechm, 26, also featured in two Champions League group games against Chelsea this season in which Lamps ran a close eye over his skills in attack.

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Chelsea are now already working on summer transfers and are in the midst of planning a major overhaul this summer.

Following a move for Ziyech, the Blues are also looking to thrash out a plan for former youth team winger Jeremie Boga.

The winger is with Italian side Sassoulo but it is understood Chelsea have first refusal on bringing him back to England.

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