These stories are samples pulled from external media sources. They do not represent the views or position of Chelsea Football Club.

El Ghazi warns Ziyech of physical battles to come

According to Goal.com, Anwar El Ghazi believes his former Ajax team-mate Hakim Ziyech will make a successful transition when he joins Chelsea next season despite the more physical nature of the Premier League.

El Ghazi, who like Ziyech was born in the Netherlands and is of Moroccan extraction, has spent the past two seasons at Aston Villa and understands the differences between top-flight football in England and the Netherlands.

‘You have to think about your muscles with so many games,’ said the winger to Voetbal Primeur.

‘I thought I was big and heavy, but sometimes you run into player and you think: is that a wall? But Ziyech is going to do well at Chelsea, 100 per cent.’

El Ghazi added Ziyech would benefit from doing more work in the gym, though not necessarily to build muscle.

‘Ziyech has his qualities and he shouldn’t have to be physical. He’s agile and can move well, because he’s so thin,’ he added.

‘Going to the gym doesn’t mean going to [Dutch gym chain] Basic Fit to become a powerhouse. You can also work your core, train your abs, pull ups. It doesn’t make you a bodybuilder. Being in the gym doesn’t just mean pumping and pumping.’

Mount in ranking of most valuable players

Mason Mount is ranked in the top-20 in a list of Europe’s most valuable players, the BBC reports.

The list compiled by the CIES Football Observatory and focused on players in Europe's top five leagues shows the Chelsea midfielder in 19th place with a value of £91 million.

The 21-year-old, who signed a new five-year deal with the Blues last July, is ahead of several big names in the list including Lionel Messi (22), Virgil van Dijk (24) and Cristiano Ronaldo (70).

CIES uses a number of variables to work out player values, including age, performance and economic factors.

Topping the list was Paris St-Germain's Kylian Mbappe, who was valued at £230.5m, with Raheem Sterling of Manchester City second on £173m and Jadon Sancho of Borussia Dortmund third on £159m.

In another report released earlier this year, CIES indicated Chelsea had the fifth most valuable squad in Europe, behind Liverpool, Manchester City, Barcelona and Real Madrid with a total value of £1.008 billion.

Lebeouf feels Kouibaly would be good fit for Blues

Former Blues defender Frank Leboeuf believes Kalidou Koulibaly would benefit from a move to Stamford Bridge instead of Manchester United, the Daily Mail reports.

The Senegal international defender looks set to leave Napoli this summer and has reportedly been linked with a switch to Manchester United.

However, Leboeuf feels the 28-year-old would be better off at Stamford Bridge.

‘I will never ask him to go to Manchester United for many reasons,' said the former France international to ESPN.com.

'I want him to win some stuff and I think Manchester United is not the club that they used to be and they're not ready to win stuff.

'I think Liverpool would be a good fit with [Virgil] van Dijk, that would be fantastic. Paris Saint-Germain as well with Marquinhos, there would be two great central defenders.

'I think Chelsea will need a player like that. I don't know if Koulibaly will be interested, but even if they have two very good central defenders, Koulibaly I think belongs to another level and would fit very well.

'You have to make a choice at certain points. The question was: "What is the best fit for Koulibaly?".’