West Ham United have entered the race to sign Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria, who is also a target for Liverpool and Everton.
According to a report from Calciomercato, West Ham United have registered an interest in signing Borussia Monchengladbach midfield mainstay Denis Zakaria. The Switzerland international is out of contract at the end of the season and is also wanted by Liverpool and Everton.
Zakaria has been with Gladbach since 2017 when he arrived from Swiss giants BSC Young Boys and has grown into an integral member of the first team. To date, the 25-year-old has featured 141 times so far for the Bundesliga outfit, scoring 11 goals and registering eight assists in the process.
A versatile midfielder who can play as a No. 6 or a box-to-box role, Zakaria can also slot in as a centre-half. While he has had some injury problems of late, he has recovered strongly and is displaying his quality again this season. And, with his contract with Die Fohlen expiring at the end of the season, clubs across Europe are queuing up to sign him on a free transfer.
Liverpool have shown a liking towards the Switzerland international as Jurgen Klopp looks to refresh his options in the middle of the park. The Reds did not replace Georginio Wijnaldum this past summer following his Bosman move to Paris Saint-Germain, while the likes of James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara are not getting any younger and have had injury issues this term.
Given that both Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have also had several fitness problems in the past, it only makes sense for Liverpool to look to strengthen their midfield department. And Zakaria is a player who can fit in well with Klopp’s style of play, while he would also be available on a free transfer.
Everton, too, have been linked with a move for the former BSC Young Boys star, with manager Rafael Benitez hoping to add more quality to his midfield. The likes of Fabian Delph and Jean-Philippe Gbamin have been plagued with injury issues while Tom Davies, Andre Gomes have not performed consistently, leaving Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure to do all the heavy lifting in midfield.
Signing someone like Zakaria would ensure Everton have another quality operator in the centre of the park, which could also allow Doucoure to impact the proceedings in the final third to a greater degree. However, both Liverpool and Everton will have to battle with fellow Premier League club West Ham United for his signing.
The Hammers have Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek as their preferred options in the centre of the pitch. However, there is a lack of quality options beyond them, with Alex Kral failing to impress since joining in the summer while captain Mark Noble is set to retire at the end of the season. A player of Zakaria’s abilities could, thus, be a viable addition to the midfield department in David Moyes’ squad.
With there being interest from the likes of Juventus and AS Roma, a major battle could be brewing for the signing of the Swiss midfielder next year when his contract runs out.
