Frank Lampard, who has had two transfer windows without making a signing – one enforced by FIFA and the other self-imposed – has completed the signing of Hakim Ziyech from ajax.
However, The Moroccan playmaker starred during Ajax’s run to the Champions League semi-finals last season and had no shortage of suitors for his signature.
But Chelsea acted fast, getting in before the transfer window even opened, to secure a deal that will see the 27-year-old arrive at Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.
However, could they run into problems as a result of the coronavirus outbreak?
The entire football schedule in England has been suspended until April 3 at the earliest due to the pandemic sweeping the nation, with an expectation that the suspension will last even longer than that.
The Premier League clubs are meeting on Thursday morning to discuss the outbreak and what it means for the season, when and if it can end and the schedules that will need to be put in place heading into the 2020/21 campaign. And the coronavirus pandemic could cause issues with regard to the summer transfer window as a result.
Ziyech is due to arrive at Chelsea on July 1, folowing the conclusion of this current year on his Ajax contract.
But will Ajax have finished playing by then? And if they haven’t does Ziyech stay to finish the season with the Dutch side, or join up with his new Chelsea team-mates as scheduled?