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 heads the other way in a permanent swap deal. Both clubs are keen on reinforcing their midfield, which has struggled this season.

The Old Lady have been hit by a 15-point deduction due to financial fairplay breaches. They allowed Weston McKennie to join Leeds United on loan last month, while summer signing Paul Pogba is yet to make an appearance due to injury issues.

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

Kovacic has been called upon 22 times across competitions, scoring one goal and providing an assist. Zakaria has impressed following a slow start to life in west London. He has featured just nine times, scoring one goal as Chelsea’s injury curse has hit him.

According to Calcio Mercato, Juventus will permanently part with Zakaria, 26, if they get Kovacic, 28, in return. A deal seems unlikely, though, due to the Croatian being a regular under Blues manager Graham Potter.

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

“Whenever Denis has played, he’s not let us down. He played in the Champions League against Zagreb and scored, so he’s shown his quality. He has remained professional, worked really hard, and it’s why he got his reward (against Bournemouth) with a decent performance and a contribution to a win.”

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

The same can’t be said for Zakaria at the Allianz Stadium, as he struggled for game time under Massimiliano Allegri. He featured just 15 times, scoring one goal and providing an assist.

Chelsea are not considering sending David Datro Fofana out on loan

Chelsea have spent over £600 million since Todd Boehly became the cooperating owner of the Blues. They have brought in the likes of Mykhaylo Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez and Joao Felix to Stamford Bridge.

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

That led to speculation that Turkish side Galatasaray were keen on securing his services on loan. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has ruled out Fofana departing west London, though. He says that the two clubs have not held talks over the forward’s potential move.