Dutch media have reported that a car belonging to Hakim Ziyech, the Morocco and Chelsea playmaker who began his career in the Netherlands, was involved in a crash on July 31

A Rolls-Royce belonging to Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech was involved in a crash in Amsterdam

The vehicle in question was seen mounted on the kerbside in the Dutch capital, having crashed into a bicycle rack. The driver of the vehicle at the time of the collision – understood to have been at the end of July – has not been identified.

However, according to De Telegraaf, the car, which reports suggest is worth around £360,000, collided with another vehicle before crashing into the row of bikes. There is no indication that Ziyech, who was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 in the Netherlands and spent his entire playing career there before joining Chelsea in 2020, was in the car at the time of the incident.

Ziyech, 30, came close to a move away from Chelsea in January, only for a Paris Saint-Germain switch to collapse at the eleventh hour. He was targeted by Al-Nassr this summer, but a switch to the Saudi Pro League also failed to materialise.

Reports suggested knee problems had scuppered the second move. However, Ziyech himself hit back at those suggestions in a video shared on social media.

A member of the Ajax side which reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2019, Ziyech joined Chelsea in the summer of 2020. He has failed to hold down a regular starting spot, though, playing just 64 Premier League games in three seasons.

The former Dutch under-21 international returned to the Morocco senior set-up shortly before the World Cup, after manager Vahid Halilhodzic was replaced by Walid Regragui. Ziyech and Halilhodzic had not seen eye to eye in previous months, but the return of the Chelsea man helped the Atlas Lions reach the final four for the first time.

Ziyech is not one of the players listed as injured as Chelsea prepare for their Premier League opener against Liverpool on Sunday. Summer signing Christopher Nkunku is one of those unavailable, along with Benoit Badiashile, Marcus Bettinelli, Armando Broja, Trevor Chalobah and Wesley Fofana.

The match is Pochettino’s first in the Premier League since leaving Tottenham in 2019. “It’s so exciting to come back to the Premier League,” he told reporters in the lead-up to the opener..” We are really busy because it is a period when we are so busy with the pre-season and everything, but I am so happy, so excited and I can’t wait to be here on Sunday to start the competition.

“I miss the Premier League because of the organisation and it’s really competitive, every week it’s so competitive. Even when you play in the cups, it’s really competitive, even against League One, Two or Championship teams.

“The fans live the game. When you go away from this environment, you really feel a bit lost because football here is amazing. How people, you the media, translate to the fans, it’s the perfect combination.”