TRANSFERS
PSG lose appeal to sign Ziyech over Chelsea errors
The Parisian team presented an appeal to the LFP accusing the Premier League club of malpractice that resulted in the player not moving.
Hakim Ziyech, the 29-year-old Chelsea player, will not be joining Paris Saint-Germain. As initially reported by Telefoot, the LFP’s Legal Commission, which met on Wednesday in Paris, did not rule in favor of the Parisians regarding the appeal lodged with the Ligue 1 authorities in an attempt to approve the Moroccan’s transfer, who signed his new contract yesterday, but whose documents did not arrive in time.
Ziyech staying with Chelsea
PSG argued that Chelsea had caused them a serious prejudice by sending wrong documents as many as three times so that Ziyech did not end up signing for a move to the French capital. The agreement between the two parties was complete, signing a loan deal, without an option to buy, until the end of the season. However, as the papers did not arrive in time, the LFP could not approve it.
PSG had hoped that the Legal Commission would deliver a final verdict in their favor as the non-signing of Ziyech had been solely and exclusively Chelsea’s responsibility. However, the LFP’s legal body would have considered potentially setting a dangerous precedent if it had found in favor of the Ligue 1 leaders.
The club, therefore, ends the winter transfer window without a single new signing and after having already sold Sarabia to Wolverhampton, Keylor Navas on loan to Wolverhampton and Ayman Kari to Lorient. The Champions League remains the main objective of the Qatari-funded club, but ensuring a French title is, a la Ziyech, far from a done deal.