Gunners in Bore War for Zakaria
Denis Zakaria has told Borussia Monchengladbach he will leave the club in the summer – with Arsenal expressing interest.
Bundesliga giants have confirmed the 25-year-old Swiss defensive midfielder has informed them Will Leaving at the end of the season.
With the expiration of his contract, Zakaria will be available on a free transfer – foreign clubs will be able to start pre-contract negotiations from January 1.
Arsenal and Manchester United have both been linked with the 38-cap international in recent weeks.
Barcelona and Manchester City are also said to be keen.
But reports in Germany have suggested Arsenal have made the first move.
The Gunners could offer a contract to land Zakaria for free from 1 July or to land the £24m-rated star for a cut-price fee in January.
Borussia Mönchengladbach may be tempted to sell next month rather than lose their star man for nothing.
On Wednesday, Gladbach read a statement: “Dennis Zakaria has informed the club of his intention to leave the club in the summer after five years.”
Sporting director Max Eberl confirmed that he had sought to inform his players of his future plans before 31 December.
Ahead of the Bundesliga’s winter break, Eberl claimed: “I have made it clear to the boys that, by the end of this year, I want to resolve everything that is not related to the second half of Borussia’s season.
“I want everyone to focus entirely on the club, on the second half of the season and on changing this situation.
“Players should use the next few days to get their affairs in order.
“We will also make some decisions to do everything we can to start preparing for the second half of the season.”
