Transfer News: Borussia Monchengladbach hand Denis Zakaria transfer update to Manchester United

According to Metro, Borussia Monchengladbach have provided an update on the possibility of selling Denis Zakaria in the January transfer window amidst interest from Manchester United. United are in the market for a midfielder as they try to boost their chances of attaining a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Zakaria will see his contract with Monchengladbach expire at the end of the current season. He could sign a pre-contract agreement with clubs outside Germany this month if he has made up his mind on leaving once the campaign ends. He is currently valued at £5million, which would surely be a steal in today’s market.

Speaking to the reporters ahead of the Bundesliga clash with Bayer Leverkusen, sporting director Max Eberl revealed that they have not yet received any bid from other teams for the 25-year-old. He has admitted that they are open to selling the midfielder if they receive an appropriate offer.

“It’s not surprising that there’s a lot of speculation around Denis Zakaria and Matthias Ginter at the moment. However, there haven’t been any concrete offers for either of them. Both are currently our players and still have six months left on their contracts. But we have always said that if we were to receive a substantial financial offer over the winter that we wouldn’t rule them out leaving the club.”

Zakaria- safe, cheap option for Man Utd?

If we could get the Swiss international’s services for the fee that is mentioned above, it would be a smart piece of business done by the board. We definitely need an addition in midfield to counteract against the lack of balance between attack and defence. We should keep in mind that he becomes a free agent in the summer, but it would certainly be a moment to regret if we wait too long and someone swoops in for him before us.

Signing the Bundesliga star would undoubtedly see an influx of technical quality in the centre of the pitch as we have struggled at times to progress the ball to our attackers. An able dribbler with the ball, he is also a presence to consider when his team is out of possession, and does a good job of shielding his centre-backs when needed.

Fred, Nemanja Matic and Scott McTominay are our only defensive midfield options, which is pretty grim considering Ralf Rangnick deploys a double pivot in his midfield. Matic, in particular, is ageing and has looked like he is on the wane now.

The Monchengladbach ace would be a fine addition and would instantly be a contender to start games. At 25, he still has a long career ahead of him and is arguably only entering his peak footballing years.

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Perhaps, another bonus of facilitating a transfer for the Swiss midfielder would be that the club could continue to target the other midfield options. We have been linked to players like Yves Bissouma, Franck Kessie, Aurelien Tchouameni and Declan Rice, and we could continue to target them if Zakaria signs for a low fee.

There is no indication that we would keep looking for midfielders even if we sign Zakaria, but given that £5million isn’t a fortune in today’s market, our leftover funds- if any- could be put towards strengthening the team further. The English club has to be quick with their interest, though, since nearly half of the winter transfer window has already passed.