How much will Chelsea pay for Denis Zakaria?
Karan Tejwani
- 2 Sept 2022 13:10 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea completed the deadline day signing of Denis Zakaria from Juventus, bringing the midfielder on loan as they looked to improve their depth in that area.
The Blues had previously targeted a deal for Eredivisie duo Edson Alvarez from Ajax or Ibrahim Sangare from PSV, but neither materialized, and they went for a temporary move for Zakaria instead.
Chelsea have been busy in this transfer window, which was the first under new owner Todd Boehly, as they signed nine players including Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella.
Fofana was the last of the bunch, with his signing being confirmed on deadline day, immediately after that of forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona.
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Big fee involved for Zakaria
The loan for Zakaria comes at a fee for Chelsea, who are paying for the initial period and have the option to make the move permanent at the end of it – which is at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Chelsea will pay a fee of €3 million for the initial loan period, plus an additional €1 million in add-ons in the future for the 2022-23 campaign only.
At the end of the loan period, Chelsea will have the option to make the loan move permanent for a fee of €28 million plus €5 million in add-ons, if they wish to sign the Swiss international outright.
Welcome to Chelsea, Denis Zakaria! 💙 #ZakariaIsChelsea pic.twitter.com/efdBVdefLV
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 2, 2022
Zakaria only joined Juventus from Borussia Monchengladbach back in January, but he hasn’t hit the form one had hoped for the Bianconeri.
Despite his arrival, Juventus still looked to strengthen their midfield in the summer and brought in Paul Pogba on a free and Leandro Paredes from Paris Saint-Germain in the final week of the transfer window.
The 25-year-old Zakaria was considered one of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga before his form dropped and was linked to several Premier League clubs including Manchester United and Arsenal.
He will be hoping to revive his career at Stamford Bridge under the guidance of Thomas Tuchel and spur the Blues on after a difficult start to the campaign for them.
