Manchester City are reportedly prepared to make a move for Borussia Monchengladbach starlet Denis Zakaria, who is also a target for AS Roma.

According to Calciomercato, Manchester City have entered the market for Denis Zakaria. The 24-year-old Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder is being targeted as a summer reinforcement option for Pep Guardiola’s team, with his current contract at the club expiring at the end of the ongoing season.

Zakaria has been linked with numerous clubs across Europe over the past year or so. The report does mention AS Roma having contact with the midfielder, but Barcelona, too, are reportedly eyeing a Bosman move for the Swiss international.

Formerly of the Young Boys academy, Zakaria is considered as one of the more promising young midfielders in the Bundesliga. He has had a successful spell at Gladbach since arriving at the club in 2017. His aggression, work ethic and tactical versatility had made him a unique operator, especially under the leadership of current Dortmund head coach Marco Rose.

However, it appears Zakaria is now on the verge of ending his five-year spell at Gladbach, with Dortmund unsurprisingly one of the teams in contention to sign the 24-year-old next summer.

Denis Zakaria (L) is a wanted man in the Premier League (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Denis Zakaria (L) is a wanted man in the Premier League (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Bongarts/Getty Images)

But given the rivalry between the two Bundesliga clubs and the animosity received by Rose due to his move earlier this summer, the Swiss international might want to move elsewhere.

Manchester City, to that end, could be an interesting option for the former Young Boys starlet. The Premier League champions are in the market for midfield reinforcements next summer, in an attempt to provide competition to the likes of Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan while Fernandinho won’t be sticking at the Etihad for very long.

From a tactical perspective, Zakaria is not a traditional holding midfielder. As such, we could see him compete with Gundogan and Bernardo Silva for the number eight slot, although the latter has been linked with a move to Barcelona as well, despite some brilliant performances for Manchester City lately.

The midfielder’s contract situation at Gladbach certainly makes him a favourable option for any club in Europe right now. At the age of just 24, Zakaria is quite young, and with 116 appearances in the Bundesliga and 38 caps for Switzerland, he has the pedigree of performing at the highest level of football, thus making him an ideal coup for Manchester City next season.

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