Liverpool are looking into Denis Zakaria in the January transfer window, according to reports. The Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder has an expiring contract.
This comes from Gazzetta Dello Sport. They claim the race for Denis Zakaria is really hotting up right now.
And it’s Liverpool who front it. They’re pushing hard to sign Zakaria, whose contract expires at the end of the season.
That means he’s available for nothing, of course, but things might not be as simple as that. Gladbach could look to sell Zakaria before losing him on a free transfer.
The price? Around £8.5m in January and that’s something Liverpool could pay. It’s a question fo value to the two parties.
Gladbach need to weigh up whether that £8.5m is worth losing a key player for the rest of the season. It would certainly make their goals this season harder to accomplish.
But £8.5m is definitely a larger amount than £0. It would at least benefit Gladbach when it comes to replacing the Swiss midfielder.
As for Liverpool, they need to figure out if six months of Zakaria is worth £8.5m this season.
Liverpool look into Denis Zakaria transfer
Liverpool lost Gini Wijnaldum in the summer and never replaced him. Wijnaldum played a key role for the Reds as a consistent, all-around possession player.
Zakaria does fit that bill. He wins tackles, makes interceptions, chips in with a couple of goals and, most importantly, keeps the ball very well.
Wijnaldum averaged around 92% pass completion last season – an incredibly high amount that put him in the top 5 of the Premier League. The fact that he was a fairly advanced midfielder was notable, too, as everyone above him played a defensive role.
Zakaria doesn’t quite reach those heights but he sits at 89% this season in the Bundesliga. He could fill that role, then, and if Liverpool feel they lack it this season, £8.5m isn’t too much to pay.
Especially if he makes the difference between being champions or not.
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