By Betsefy
Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Denis Zakaria from Juventus on a season-long loan deal.
The 25-year-old midfielder has put pen to paper on a temporary contract which will keep him at Stamford Bridge for the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign, with the option to make that move permanent at the end of the season.
The option-to-buy clause in the deal is thought to be worth around £30m, although the Blues are under no obligation to trigger that.
Zakaria only arrived at Juventus in January and made just 15 appearances for the club across all competitions, two of which came this season.
Welcome to Chelsea, Denis Zakaria! 💙 #ZakariaIsChelsea pic.twitter.com/efdBVdefLV
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 2, 2022
“I want to say hi to all the Chelsea fans. I’m very happy and proud to be a Blue and I cannot wait to see you soon at Stamford Bridge,” Zakaria told the club’s official website.
Chairman Todd Boehly added: “Denis is a talented midfielder with lots of quality and skill. He will add depth and range to our squad this season, and we are looking forward to watching him play in Chelsea blue.”
The club’s co-controlling owners Behdad Eghbali and Jose E Feliciano also said: “Denis brings top-level and international experience, and his mix of tenacity and great distribution will be assets to our team. We’re happy to have him with us and welcome him to London.”
Zakaria, who has won 40 caps for Switzerland, has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs in recent years, with Arsenal and Liverpool among those previously credited with an interest.
The midfielder’s transfer did not go through until more than two hours after Thursday’s 11pm deadline, with Chelsea also confirming Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang‘s arrival in the early hours of Friday morning.
Zakaria is Chelsea’s ninth and final summer signing, with Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Carney Chukwuemeka, Gabriel Slonina and Omari Hutchinson also joining the club during a £250m splurge.
