Manchester United
Premier League • England
Premier League move ‘unlikely’ as Man Utd, Liverpool drop interest in talented Bundesliga ace
Borussia Monchengladbach star Denis Zakaria is unlikely to feature in the Premier League next season after Manchester United and Liverpool reportedly dropped their interest in him.
Zakaria will leave Gladbach in the summer after running down his contract with the Bundesliga club. His availability had put Premier League teams, most notably United and Liverpool, on alert.
The Switzerland international is valued at £24.3million by transfermarkt but can be snapped up for free on July 1.
Reports have named him as the man to either solve United’s midfield problems or bolster Jurgen Klopp’s ranks in the centre of the pitch.
But according to the Daily Mail, who cite transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, a transfer to United or Liverpool is now ‘unlikely’.
The update comes after the Liverpool Echo revealed the Reds are not aiming to improve their midfield.
25-year-old Zakaria is now gearing up for a Serie A switch. Juventus and Roma are both pushing to complete a deal, which could come before January 31.
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Gladbach are willing to sell for £7m as they have little choice over his departure.
Bayern Munich and Barcelona are also ‘keeping tabs’ on his situation, according to the report, although they do have other midfielders in mind.
While Zakaria is unlikely to move to England this year, his Gladbach team-mate Matthias Ginter could do so.
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Reports earlier this month put Newcastle in the mix for the German centre-half. Like Zakaria, he will leave Gladbach once his terms expire in the summer.
Catalan outlet El Nacional state Ginter is in ‘advanced talks’ with Bayern. However, the Bavarians face a ‘challenge’ from Newcastle, as per Inter Live.
Both Bayern and the Magpies are ‘very serious’ about obtaining his services, which should set up an intriguing transfer race.
Man Utd ‘agree terms’ over forward’s exit
Meanwhile, United have agreed terms with Sevilla over a loan deal for forward Anthony Martial, according to a report.
Martial has struggled for game time and form this season, in fact only playing 11 times for a total of 367 minutes.
As such, Sevilla came forward as his top suitor. The La Liga club initially had a loan offer rejected because they refused to pay Martial’s full wages as well as a loan fee to United.
However, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano now reports that Sevilla and United have reached an agreement over a loan deal for Martial. Crucially, Sevilla have offered to cover his salary until June.
What’s more, the Daily Mail claim Sevilla offered a £5m loan fee, as per Man Utd’s request.
And Martial has also taken a pay cut, which has helped Sevilla get the deal over the line from their end.
READ MORE: Man Utd in ‘pole position’ and chasing bargain January deal to beat Newcastle to midfielder