Manchester City are reportedly interested in signing Borussia Monchengladbach star Denis Zakaria, who is also on the radars of Chelsea and Manchester United.
According to reputed journalist Fabrizio Romano, as relayed by The Sun, Manchester City have entered the race to sign Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria. The Switzerland international is also a target for fellow Premier League outfits Chelsea and Manchester United.
24-year-old Zakaria came through the youth ranks at Swiss club Servette before switching to BSC Young Boys in 2015. Having stayed for two years at the club, the midfielder moved to Germany, joining Borussia Monchengladbach, where he has grown into one of the best in his position in the Bundesliga.
Zakaria was enjoying a fine 2019/20 campaign until a serious knee injury cut his season short. The midfielder missed the early parts of the new season as well and is now being eased back into action by manager Marco Rose. So far, he has featured 99 times for the Foals, while also making 28 appearances for the Swiss national team.
In spite of his recent injury issues, Zakaria’s stock in the transfer market hasn’t taken a hit as both Chelsea and Manchester United are reported to be keen on signing him.
Chelsea, as things stand, have a packed midfield unit, with Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and the young Billy Gilmour competing for the defensive midfield slot. Even then, the Blues seem keen on adding another holding midfielder to their ranks, having chased West Ham United’s Declan Rice all through the summer.
Now, though, Chelsea seem to have turned their attention towards Zakaria, but face competition from Manchester United. The Red Devils’ interest in the 24-year-old makes a lot of sense considering that Nemanja Matic is into his thirties and will need to be replaced in due course of time.
While Manchester United do have the solid duo of Scott McTominay and Fred at their disposal, with the latter in line for a new contract as well, adding another defensive midfielder like Zakaria would bolster the overall quality of the entire squad.
However, apart from Chelsea, they will now also have contend with competition from local rivals Manchester City, as claimed by Fabrizio Romano on his ‘Here We Go’ podcast. “Manchester City are focusing on Zakaria, he is so appreciated by the board, they are following him, they are in contact with his agent,” he said.
“So he’s for sure on the list of Manchester City, there is nothing advanced yet because they are not negotiating yet with Borussia Monchengladbach, they need time.”
Manchester City have Rodri and Fernandinho as the two options for the defensive midfield slot, with young Tommy Doyle slowly being integrated into the first-team fold. But with Fernandinho set to turn 36 by the time the ongoing season ends, the Cityzens need to have a succession plan in place for him, making Zakaria a viable target.
The Switzerland international is contracted with Gladbach till the summer of 2022. So, there is a chance that he could be available on a bargain price next summer as he enters the final year of his contract. And it will be interesting to see if Chelsea or either of the Manchester clubs make an attempt to land him.
