Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Denis Zakaria, who is also a target for Premier League rivals Liverpool and Manchester United.
According to a report by Transfer Market Web, the race to sign Denis Zakaria in the summer transfer window is starting to heat up. The Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder, who is valued at around €40 million, is being chased by the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Zakaria has established himself as one of the best midfielders in Bundesliga since joining Borussia Monchengladbach from BSC Young Boys in the summer of 2017. Hampered by a serious injury in the second half of last season, the 24-year-old has slowly been making his way back to peak form.
Till date, Zakaria has featured 126 times for Gladbach, even chipping in with 9 goals and 7 assists in those outings. His progress over the last four years has invariably helped him attract some of the biggest clubs in Europe, with a lot of the interest stemming from the Premier League, where Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are his suitors.
Arsenal are the latest entrants in the race to sign Zakaria and their interest in the 24-year-old makes a lot of sense. The Gunners are set to lose Dani Ceballos at the end of the season, when he will return to Real Madrid at the end of his loan spell. Furthermore, there are some rumours that Thomas Partey could depart the Emirates this summer.
Therefore, it is imperative that Arsenal sign a midfielder this summer, with Yves Bissouma, who is coincidentally also a target for Liverpool and Manchester United, on their transfer wishlist. And, Zakaria is an option worth considering as well. As for Liverpool, they are bracing themselves for the exit of Georginio Wijnaldum, who is set to leave the club as a free agent.
As a result, the Reds have been linked with a number of midfielders, with Zakaria a viable target as well. In fact, Zakaria could be a twin-pronged solution for Liverpool, considering he is adept at playing three different roles – centre-back, holding midfield and box-to-box midfield – which then takes some of the load off of Fabinho.
Manchester United, meanwhile, have a more straightforward use for Zakaria, who could be a long-term replacement for Nemanja Matic, who is approaching the final phase of his career. While Fred and Scott McTominay have stepped up admirably, neither is a natural holding midfielder, meaning signing someone like Zakaria could be a step in the right direction.
Zakaria will not even be as expensive as Declan Rice, who is a top target for Manchester United, seeing as his valuation is around €40 million. It will now be interesting to see who among Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United can prevail in pursuit of Zakaria, who could be set to leave Borussia Monchengladbach this summer.