Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Denis Zakaria on loan from Juventus on loan for the 2022/23 season, according to reports.
The 25-year-old was seen as an alternative for Chelsea as they searched for a midfielder to ease their midfield injury problems which Thomas Tuchel has bemoaned in recent weeks, most recently on Tuesday evening following their defeat to Southampton.
"Hamstring injury, next midfielder out," said Tuchel on Ruben Loftus-Cheek on Tuesday, who is now set to be fit for the weekend's clash against West Ham.
"No one left. Recommendation for Kovacic was 20 minutes. I also don’t understand why we are in this situation regarding injuries, all players in midfield. Need to find solutions."
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Edson Alvarez of Ajax was targeted when a €50 million bid was made, but Ajax refused to let the Mexican leave late on in the transfer window. Ibrahim Sangare of PSV was also wanted, but he will remain in Holland.
Chelsea continued to search for options and the possibility of signing Zakaria came about. As initially reported by Fabrizio Romano, Tuchel's side approached Juventus over the chances of taking the midfielder on loan with an option to buy.
David Ornstein of The Athletic now reports that the clubs have now agreed a deal, loan with option to buy, which will see Zakaria make the switch to west London.
He is undergoing his medical in Turin ahead of Thursday's 11pm (BST) deadline and personal terms aren't set to be a problem.
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Chelsea have lost Ethan Ampadu to Spezia on loan for the season, while Billy Gilmour is set to join Brighton for £9 million before the window closes on Thursday night.
Tiemoue Bakayoko is set to stay at AC Milan after refusing to join Monza, as the business to get deals over the line before the window closes continues.
Zakaria is set to provide cover for the injuries to N'Golo Kante and the returning Mateo Kovacic, who is coming back to full fitness following a knee problem.
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He adds competition in the midfield with Loftus-Cheek and Conor Gallagher.
He is set to be joined by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Barcelona forward is flying to London to seal his transfer to Chelsea after the clubs agreed a fee.
Whether Chelsea will get any more business done before the deadline in terms of incomings remains to be seen, but with the speed that they sealed a deal for Zakaria, anything is possible.
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All that is left to do is for Zakaria to complete his medical, sign the contract and he will become a Chelsea player.
Topics: Chelsea, Juventus, Premier League
Matthew Debono