£45m star set to join Chelsea this summer

The Evening Standard reports that Italian club Juventus are ready to allow Chelsea to sign Denis Zakaria permanently at the end of his loan spell at the Premier League club this summer.

Recall that Chelsea completed a loan move for Zakaria on deadline day in the summer, with the deal including a £27 million option to make the transfer permanent.

The midfielder has been impressive at Stamford Bridge and represents a cheaper option compared to Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice, who are both targets for the Blues.

However, the move is said to depend on Chelsea’s finances regarding UEFA’s new Financial Sustainability Rules, as they have already drawn attention to themself for their £500m in spending over the last two transfer windows.

If the Blues do not take up the option to sign the Switzerland international permanently, Juventus are said to be hopeful that another Premier League club will be keen to make an offer close to the £27m clause in the loan deal.

Currently, Juventus are in an uncertain position after being accused of breaching financial regulations, which could see the club get a 15-point deduction.

To avoid this, Juve are looking to balance their books which means the sale of Zakaria, whether to Chelsea or elsewhere, looks certain in the summer.