Barcelona and Juventus are reportedly locking horns in pursuit of 24-year-old Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria.
According to a report by El Nacional, the race to sign Denis Zakaria on a Bosman move next summer continues to heat up with every passing day. Barcelona face stiff competition from Juventus for the 24-year-old Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder, who is also being tailed by a gamut of other top clubs.
Denis Zakaria has come a long way since joining Borussia Monchengladbach from BSC Young Boys in the summer of 2017. A mainstay in the middle of the park for the Bundesliga outfit, the Swiss international has been a regular feature for club and country in the last four years.
To date, Zakaria has made 138 appearances for Gladbach, chipping in with 11 goals and eight assists along the way. The 24-year-old has also done well to recover from a long-term knee injury, but the Bundesliga outfit is in a precarious position over his long-term future because he is in the final year of his current contract. Such a situation has alerted Barcelona and Juventus.
The interest from Barcelona makes a lot of sense, considering Sergio Busquets is in the twilight of his career. So, the need to lay down a succession plan for the veteran midfielder is imperative. And with Miralem Pjanic unlikely to be installed as part of the first-team setup upon his return from Besiktas, Zakaria becomes a viable target for the Blaugrana.
On the other hand, Juventus are also in need of bolstering their midfield unit amid uncertainties surrounding the futures of Adrien Rabiot, Weston McKennie and Aaron Ramsey. With the Serie A heavyweights eager to offload the three midfielders, it also behoves them to look for at least one replacement, which is where Zakaria comes into the picture.
Apart from the 24-year-old Donny van de Beek, Ryan Gravenberch and Aurelien Tchouameni are among the midfielders linked with Juventus. However, it looks like the Bianconeri are pushing ahead with their pursuit of Zakaria, with Massimiliano Allegri already contacting him personally, thereby putting Barcelona in a spot of bother.
Meanwhile, in addition to Barcelona and Juventus, Premier League giants Chelsea and Liverpool, as well as Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, are also hot on the trail of the Swiss midfielder. With such fierce competition for his signature, it remains to be seen which of his suitors ends up securing Zakaria’s services on a Bosman move next summer.