Everton Reportedly Eyeing Gladbach Midfield Star Denis Zakaria
By Tom Power
Toffees linked with Swiss international amid ongoing talk over midfield duo’s futures
Everton are looking to secure the signature of midfield starlet Denis Zakaria, according to the Daily Mirror.
The British newspaper has alleged that the Blues want to bring the Borussia Monchengladbach player to the Premier League.
Zakaria only joined the Bundesliga side from Swiss outfit BSC Young Boys 12 months ago but could be on the move again.
Toffees manager Marco Silva captured his first signing of the summer on Tuesday with the £40m arrival of Richarlison.
And the 41-year-old is now seeking to bolster another area of his squad by luring Zakaria from mainland Europe.
Zakaria is a 21-year-old defensive midfielder who ticks all the right boxes for Silva.
He’s young, athletic, feisty in the tackle and has plenty of experience at the highest levels of the game.
With 12 senior international caps for the Switzerland national team and 106 club appearances combined for Servette, Young Boys and Gladbach, Zakaria’s tender years belie the experience he already possesses.
Zakaria penned a deal until June 2022 upon completing his £11m switch to Germany last summer, and therefore won’t come cheap to Everton.
If the Blues truly are interested in him, they may have to pay over the odds for another young, gifted footballer like they did with Richarlison.
Zakaria’s potential arrival on Merseyside could spell the end of either Morgan Schneiderlin‘s or Muhamed Besic‘s Everton career too.
The duo have fallen out of favour under previous managers, who Schneiderlin only regaining his place in the team after an apparent bust up in training last November.
Besic, meanwhile, has been plagued by injuries and spent the second half of last season on loan at Middlesbrough.
The pair have had their chances to impress Silva in pre-season so far this term, but neither have set the world alight and 100% succeeded in making themselves part of his plans for 2018/19.
Next: Everton Complete Signing of Richarlison on Five-Year Deal
Zakaria would fill in for either at the base of a midfield trio if he signed for Everton, and allow the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Idrissa Gueye or Tom Davies to produce the goods further up the pitch.