Liverpool battle United for Swiss midfielder Denis Zakaria

According to Sky Germany (h/t Mirror), Liverpool will compete with arch-rivals Manchester United in the race to sign Swiss defensive midfielder Denis Zakaria.

The 23-year-old has proved to be a hit in Germany since joining from Young Boys in 2017. Zakaria has two goals and two assists in 31 appearances as Gladbach lie fourth in the Bundesliga table this season. A top-four finish will ensure that the Die Fohlen will play Champions League football next season.

Gladbach are not keen on selling the player and expected him to stay if the club qualifies for the Champions League. The German club’s sporting director Max Eberl voiced his confidence in being able to keep the player at the club.

“I think that there is a very good chance that Denis will still be with us next year if we qualify for the Champions League.”

Denis Zakaria has been a regular for Monchengladbach

The Germans currently occupy the last Champions League spot in the Bundesliga and are also just two points off second spot. According to the report, Manchester United lead the chase for the 23-year-old, who has also drawn attention from Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

Primarily a defensive midfielder, he can also play in central midfield and in central defence. A towering presence at 6’3″, he has been compared to Toni Kroos by German legend Lothar Matthaus.

Zakaria has two years left on his current contract and has done a good job replacing Mohmoud Dahoud, who joined Dortmund. He has gone on to make 96 appearances for Gladbach and has scored eight goals and six assists.

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Zakaria has won 28 caps for the Swiss national team and has scored three goals. He was a part of the 23-man squad that participated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.