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As reported by The Mirror, Ajax have confirmed that Hakim Ziyech will leave the club this summer with Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United all sniffing around the attacking midfielder.

What's the word, then?

Well, the Moroccan international has enjoyed a quite brilliant 2018/19 campaign with the Dutch giants, scoring an astounding 21 goals whilst recording an equally eye-catching 24 assists across all-competitions.

The former FC Twente man helped Ajax secure the Eredivisie title as well as the KNVB Cup this term, whilst also playing a pivotal role in their run to the Champions League semi-finals.

Intriguingly for those interested in the 26-year-old, Ziyech has a relatively low £25m release clause in his contract, making him quite easily obtainable for the Premier League clubs keen on his services.

He would be better for Liverpool than Philippe Coutinho ever was 

Admittedly, that is a huge statement, but hear me out.

Coutinho scored 54 goals and set up a further 45 goals for the Reds before leaving for Barcelona, where the Anfield faithful became accustomed to his wizardry behind the striker, specifically, in a left attacking midfield role.

The Brazilian would often cut in from that position onto his stronger right foot and shoot for goal, and find the back of the net frequently - it became a trademark of his game.

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Ziyech, however, is left-footed, and basically does what Coutinho used to do for Liverpool but if it were mirrored on the other side of the pitch.

At Anfield, Coutinho produced his best form with James Milner and Alberto Moreno behind him at left-back, two players who never really offered the playmaker the best platform to receive the ball frequently and neglect his defensive duties.

Milner was defensively sound but needed to cut inside on his stronger right foot as well, whilst Moreno would charge down the pitch and leave oceans of space in behind; had Coutinho played with Andy Robertson more, we could've seen a great deal more from the former Inter man.

Robertson began to get into the Liverpool first-team as a regular starter towards the end of the calendar year, just as Coutinho left the club in the winter transfer window.

But if Ziyech arrived, he wouldn't face this problem. He would most likely take up a right attacking midfield spot ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold, a player who is emerging as one of the world's best despite being just 20 years of age.

In the young Scouser, Ziyech would be given the best right-back possible for him to truly show what he's all about.

The Liverpool No.66 would use his vast technical skills to get the ball into Ziyech, whilst being capable enough defensively to allow the Moroccan to stay higher up-field.

In addition to this, Alexander-Arnold's frequent overlaps would drag opposition left-backs all over the place, giving Ziyech the freedom of Anfield to do whatever he wanted drifting from that right attacking-midfield spot.

And that mixture of better service and extra freedom could well see Ziyech become a greater asset than Coutinho ever was for Liverpool.