Juventus willing to let Denis Zakaria join Chelsea if 28-year-old Blues star is included in permanent swap deal

Juventus are reportedly willing to let Denis Zakaria join Chelsea if Mateo Kovacic goes the other way in a permanent swap deal. Both clubs are interested in strengthening their midfield, which has struggled this season.

The Old Lady has been hit with a 15-point deduction due to breaches of financial fair play. They allowed Weston McKennie to join Leeds United on loan last month, while summer signing Paul Pogba has yet to appear due to injury concerns.

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s midfield has been crippled by injury, with N’Golo Kante only appearing twice this season. Jorginho left Stamford Bridge and joined Arsenal in January for £10 million.

Kovacic has been called up 22 times in all competitions, scoring one goal and providing one assist. Zakaria has impressed after a slow start to life in west London. He has featured just nine times, scoring once when Chelsea’s injury curse hit him.

According to Calcio Mercato, Juventus will say goodbye to Zakaria, 26, for good if they get Kovacic, 28, in exchange. However, a deal seems unlikely, as the Croatian is a regular under the manager of Blues, Graham Potter.

Potter spoke fondly of what Zakaria brings to his side, previously saying (via football.london):

“Whenever Denis has played, he has not let us down. He played in the Champions League against Zagreb and scored, so he has shown his quality. He has stayed professional, he has worked very hard and that is why he was rewarded by him (against Bournemouth) with a decent performance and a contribution to the win.”

Kovacic joined the Blues from Real Madrid in 2019 for £40.25m and has made 206 appearances, scoring five goals and providing 14 assists. He has won the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League and has become a fan favorite at Stamford Bridge.

The same cannot be said for Zakaria at the Allianz Stadium, as he struggled for playing time under Massimiliano Allegri. He appeared just 15 times, scoring one goal and providing one assist.

Chelsea do not consider loaning David Datro Fofana

Chelsea have spent more than £600m since Todd Boehly became contributing owner of the Blues. They have brought the likes of Mykhaylo Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez and Joao Felix to Stamford Bridge.

Another striker who was signed is Fofana, who joined the Premier League club from Molde FK last month for £10 million. He has appeared in two games for Potter’s side. However, the Ivorian striker has been left out of the Blues’ squad for the UEFA Champions League round of 16, with Mudryk and Felix included.

That led to speculation that Turkish side Galatasaray were interested in securing his services on loan. However, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has ruled out Fofana’s departure from west London. He says that the two clubs have not held talks about the striker’s possible move.