Borussia Monchengladbach’s Denis Zakaria is in the sights of Manchester City, according to Calciomercato.
THE LOWDOWN
The Switzerland midfielder’s contract at Borussia Park is up at the end of this season, and the report states that his deal ‘will not be renewed’. As such, his Transfermarkt value has fallen to £24.3m.
The 24-year-old is predominantly a defensive midfielder but has also operated further forward and as a centre-back.
Germany legend Lothar Matthaus has compared the Gladbach ‘pearl’ to Toni Kroos, while former manager Marco Rose called him a ‘very complete’ player with an ‘incredible’ understanding of the game (via Planet Football).
THE LATEST
As per Calciomercato, City are said to be among the clubs in the frame as Zakaria’s contract ticks down. However, they face competition from title rivals Liverpool, along with Serie A duo Juventus (who have already been in contact with the player’s agent) and AS Roma.
Zakaria’s dream is to move to Barcelona, but there is no indication that they are in the running at this moment in time.
THE VERDICT
Zakaria could be an excellent signing on a free transfer, and City may view him as a potential successor to Fernandinho. The 36-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, and while the Premier League champions already have Rodri on their books, they will surely want to retain their strength in depth in that position.
Zakaria’s match average of 1.8 successful tackles is just shy of Rodri’s 1.9 and better than Fernandinho’s, while his excellent passing success rate of 90% is bound to please Pep Guardiola, a manager who places huge pride in ball retention.
They may need to move quickly if they really want the Swiss ace, though, because it sounds like Juventus may be getting the upper hand.
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