Chelsea have 'option to buy' £90k-a-week star at Stamford Bridge | OneFootball

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GiveMeSport

·11 February 2023

Chelsea have 'option to buy' £90k-a-week star at Stamford Bridge

Article image:Chelsea have 'option to buy' £90k-a-week star at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea have not decided whether they are going to take up the option to turn Denis Zakaria’s loan move into a permanent deal at Stamford Bridge this summer, Simon Phillips has told GiveMeSport.

The Blues completed the temporary switch of the Juventus midfielder on Deadline Day last summer.


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Chelsea transfer news – Denis Zakaria

According to reports in Italy, Juventus have expressed an interest in Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovačić and are hoping to use Zakaria in a potential swap deal in the upcoming summer transfer window.

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It remains to be seen whether Graham Potter’s side would be willing to let the 28-year-old leave in a bid to secure the permanent services of Zakaria, especially given that they have the option to buy him at the end of the season, regardless.

Phillips has previously suggested to GiveMeSport that the Juventus loanee could stake a claim for a regular spot in the former Brighton & Hove Albion head coach’s starting XI, but another injury setback has prevented the 26-year-old from getting a significant run of games under his belt this season.

And the journalist has been told that no decision has been made on Zakaria’s Stamford Bridge future, given a variety of factors in play.

What has Phillips said about Chelsea and Zakaria?

Phillips told GiveMeSport: “Chelsea do have the option to buy Zakaria in the summer. I've been told that no decision has been made on that yet.

“I don't think they have to rush that one. They've got time on their side and they need to see how Fernández settles in.

“They need to see what happens with the injuries and they need to see how Kanté is when he comes back. They need to see if Kanté is going to sign that new contract.

“So, there are a lot of things that need to happen first, before they make this decision on Zakaria.”

Would Zakaria be a good signing for Chelsea?

Zakaria has not been given the opportunity to show the Stamford Bridge faithful what he is capable of bringing to Potter’s side regularly, through several different factors.

The 45-cap Switzerland international has played in just 19% of available Premier League minutes this season and has unsurprisingly been unable to provide so much as a goal or assist in his four outings.

It comes as no shock that the £90,000-per-week earner has only been able to achieve a below-par average WhoScored rating of 6.51 for his performances in the top flight this campaign, indicating that he has been limited on first-team action.

However, the 6 foot 3 star does compare favourably to his positional peers in some aspects of his game, ranking in the top 10% of midfielders across Europe’s big five leagues as well as the Champions League and Europa League for blocks per 90 minutes (1.70) over the last 365 days according to FBref, suggesting he’s not afraid to put himself about.

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