Juventus are set to complete and confirm the transfer of Denis Zakaria from Borussia Monchengladbach before the winter transfer window closes today (Monday), with the player having his medical ahead of the move already completed, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Serie A giants have thus acquired a midfielder to try and plug the hole left by the departures of Rodrigo Bentacur and Aaron Ramsey. Bentacur has already signed for Tottenham Hotspur, while Ramsey still hasn’t made his mind up about Juventus’ agreement with Rangers over a loan move for the former Arsenal man.
Midfielders domino set to be completed. Rodrigo Bentancur has signed his contract with Tottenham, €19m plus €6m fee – while Denis Zakaria completed his medical with Juventus. ⚪️ #THFC #Juve
Juve have an agreement with Rangers for Ramsey on loan with option – up to Aaron now.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 31, 2022
Zakaria is a versatile defensive player, primarily a midfielder whose basic duty is to provide protection for the back line, but he can also play as a centre-back. The 40-cap Switzerland international joined Gladbach from BSC Young Boys in the summer of 2017 for a reported fee of €12 million. Since then, he’s gone on to represent the Bundesliga club on 146 occasions in all competitions, scoring 11 goals and assisting his teammates eight times.
The 25-year-old’s quality has been attracting attention for a while now, with frequent links with the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United popping up frequently, but if there was any genuine interest from those clubs, it seems Juventus have won the race for his signature.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have reportedly shown strong interest in Arthur Melo, and it remains to be seen if a deal can be completed before the day is out.
