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Hakim Ziyech stranded in Paris as Chelsea fails to submit transfer paperwork

Updated Jan. 31, 2023 8:51 p.m. ET

Paris Saint-Germain’s attempt to sign Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech apparently hit a late snag Wednesday as the January transfer window came to a close without an official announcement from the clubs.

Soon after the midnight deadline, PSG said it loaned goalkeeper Keylor Navas to Nottingham Forest until the end of the season, but there was no word on the expected arrival — also on loan — of Ziyech.

According to newspaper L’Equipe, both clubs reached an agreement but the signing of Ziyech was not immediately validated by the French league because Chelsea submitted some documents too late.

PSG is counting on Ziyech to add some creativity in midfield ahead of a crucial period for the French champions.

PSG has been struggling since the start of the new year, with two defeats in its last four league matches.

Ziyech showed his creative abilities and technical skills with Morocco at the World Cup last year, helping the team reach the semifinals alongside countryman Achraf Hakimi, whom he would have been reunited with at PSG. But he has not enjoyed the same kind of form in the Premier League in recent seasons and is no longer a regular starter at Stamford Bridge.

PSG, whose ambition is still to win the Champions League for the first time this year, only has a few weeks to rediscover its attacking spark: it hosts Bayern in the first leg of their round-of-16 match in the Champions League on Feb. 14.

"We have to find some consistency in our matches, at the moment we are playing with too much fluctuation in quality, there are tough moments in a season, we have to turn things around," PSG coach Christophe Galtier said on Tuesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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