Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech may be priced out of a move away from the club as a result of his high wages and asking price, journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed.

What's the word?

The Moroccan winger was outstanding at the World Cup, but has found himself short of game time at Chelsea, and is the subject of interest from a number of clubs.

However, he could find himself unable to move in January if Chelsea's asking price remains too high, and his £100k-per-week wages could also put some clubs off a deal.

Speaking on Chelsea Fan TV, Jacobs explained that his World Cup performances could have increased his value in Chelsea's eyes, but clubs may not be willing to pay a premium.

"The club that are taking a player have to like them, see them as a priority and be prepared to pay their wages. This is where Ziyech is the problem, Chelsea's are going to have bend on something I think with Ziyech, and that's really important, because if they fail to do so, they lump themselves with a player that is ultimately on big wages and putting off suitors," he stated.

"In addition to that, there is a high transfer fee, which a lot of clubs don't want to pay. It's not astronomically high, it's not crazy to the point where it would put off a suitor, but Chelsea's valuation of Ziyech is effectively close to what they paid, which is around £33m.

The clubs enquiring about Ziyech, knowing his wages are high, are more looking at something in the region of, I would say at the lowest end £16m, £17m, £18m, up to about £21 or 22 million, which Chelsea still see is relatively low, especially because you're trying to cash in off the back of the World Cup opportunism."

Chelsea should lower their price

Given the heavy influx of players in the last two windows, Chelsea will have a tough job on their hands as they aim to shift some of their other squad members, and their main focus should be lowering the wage bill.

If they do receive offers for their fringe players, they should be wary that failing to let them leave could leave them worse off further down the line, as their values will decrease.

Ziyech's value is high after the World Cup, and flexibility on his asking price could mean that Chelsea recoup a reasonable fee for an ageing player.