Chelsea approach Juventus for Denis Zakaria loan (*UPDATE*: agreed!) — reports

UPDATE: In record time, we appear to have reach an agreement, loan with an option to buy as per David Ornstein of The Athletic.

Medical’s happening; signatures expected soon.

UPDATE 2: The buy-option is said to be around £30m.

FIVE MINUTES PRIOR:

We seem to have finally realized that another pair of legs in midfield is needed, especially of the defensive persuasion, and have thus spent the last day scrambling around trying to find anyone halfway decent to potentially bring in.

With neither Ibrahim Sangaré nor Edson Álvarez looking likely at the moment, we apparently have asked Juventus for the loan of Denis Zakaria. According to Fabrizio Romano, talks have “just started” for a deal that might include a buy-option sweetener for a player Juventus don’t seem to rate anymore — though don’t seem to be in any hurry to move on either, much to the player’s frustration. Proposed deals with the likes of Newcastle United, Atlético Madrid, and AS Roma have all fallen through this summer.

This idea has more than a few shades of the Saúl Ñíguez loan this time last season, so hopefully it works out better for all concerned than that!

Zakaria, 25, made his name with Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga before joining Juve on a cut-rate deal just nine months ago, in January, with his Gladbach contract set to expire. He’s said to be open to this idea, with his time in Turin not the happiest, featuring injuries and uncertainties aplenty.