New Chelsea signing Denis Zakaria says he was 'made aware' of interest from Liverpool by his agent before he ultimately completed the move to Stamford Bridge.
The midfielder joined Juventus from Borussia Monchengladbach for a small fee in January as he was in the final year of his contract. However, it didn't quite work out in Turin as he made just nine Serie A appearances in the second half of last season.
The Reds had no intention of dipping into the transfer market for a midfielder in the latter stages of the window but their hand was forced when captain Jordan Henderson became the latest player to pick up an injury. Liverpool subsequently signed another Juventus midfielder, Arthur Melo, on loan for the remainder of the campaign.
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However, some reports in Italy after the window closed suggest Zakaria, who the club were tentatively linked with before he joined Juve, was the top target. When it became clear he was joining Chelsea, it has been claimed they then moved to sign Arthur.
Zakaria, who signed for the London club on loan, is yet to make his debut after their last two Premier League matches were postponed. The midfielder was only named on the bench for their defeat to Dinamo Zagreb and draw against RB Salzburg in the Champions League.
The player admitted he didn't know the move was happening until just six hours before the window slammed shut on September 1. He's also revealed there was interest from Liverpool.
“It all happened very quickly," Zakaria said in an interview with Blick. "I didn’t know a move to Chelsea was possible until six hours before the end of the transfer window. I packed my things and waited for the contract to be signed. I then did the medical check in Turin and it went through. It was very close.”
When asked about the reported interest from Liverpool, he added: “I heard that from my agent, but in the end it was Chelsea, and I think I’ll be happier in England than in Turin.”
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