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Arsenal and Manchester City reportedly handed boost in quest to sign 24-year-old

Lee Clarke

Mon 26 July 2021 10:15, UK

Arsenal and Manchester City have been handed a boost in their quest to sign Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria.

The 24-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Bundesliga club and he does have interested parties monitoring his situation.

Monchengladbach’s position isn’t too strong either. The player is out of contract in less than a year and the club’s sporting director has made an interesting claim.

“With Denis, we’ve been trying to extend his contract since October.

“Denis and his management team told us pretty clearly that they would prefer a transfer this summer.

“When he returned to pre-season, we’ll see what opportunities arise.”

Zakaria has been in Germany since 2017. He checked in from Swiss outfit Young Boys and has been a mainstay at Monchengladbach ever since.

In total, he has made 128 appearances for the club, scoring nine goals and claiming seven assists.

He’s also collected 34 caps for his country, including two at Euro 2020 when Switzerland reached the quarter-final.

Now, Arsenal and City both look like having a crack at signing Zakaria. It’s unsure at this stage how much Monchengladbach will command for their star midfielder.

Arsenal need Zakaria more than City

The Gunners could lose Granit Xhaka in the coming weeks and that will leave them with a hold in midfield.

Mohamed Elneny isn’t a long-term option, whilst Thomas Partey has some other qualities alongside merely marshalling the back four.

City have a midfield that is blessed with lots of quality and that makes him a bigger necessity to the Arsenal ranks.

Zakaria earns a modest and with that in mind, he could be an affordable option to bolster the Arsenal midfield.