Chelsea to Hold Transfer Talks with Juventus for Denis Zakaria as Todd Boehly Eyes Discounted Deal

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Chelsea may discuss a new transfer fee with Juventus for Denis Zakaria if the midfielder decides to make his loan move permanent.

The current fee stands at around £29 million, which is considered high given his limited playing time this season. Juventus is reportedly looking to sell some players, so it is possible that Chelsea could negotiate a lower fee.

The CIES Football Observatory values Zakaria at slightly over £13 million, so a reduced fee could be a good deal for Chelsea. However, Zakaria will need to perform well in the upcoming months to secure a place in the team before he returns to Turin.

During Thomas Tuchel’s tenure, Denis Zakaria found it difficult to secure a spot in the starting lineup, but under new coach Graham Potter, he received more playing time. However, the midfielder was also troubled by injuries during his loan spell. Despite this, Zakaria has demonstrated his abilities in certain periods when he was given opportunities to play.

“Whenever Denis has played he has not let us down,” Potter said back in December. “Playing in the Champions League against Zagreb, he scored and he showed his quality. He’s had to be patient.

“We had some good options in midfield and you have to remember, we didn’t lose anything for the first few games so it was hard for him to get that opportunity. But he’s remained professional and worked really hard and that’s why he got his rewards on Tuesday night with a decent performance and contribution to a win.”

It remains to be seen which decision Chelsea will come to when his future at the club is to be considered, but there’s plenty of room for debate on either side of him staying at Stamford Bridge or returning to Juve in the summer.