Tottenham Hotspur have targeted Borussia Mönchengladbach's Swiss defensive midfielder Denis Zakaria as they hunt for a replacement for outgoing midfielder Mousa Dembele.
With Victor Wanyama having missed the last 14 matches through injury, and the club having accepted a £11m bid from Beijing Guoan for Mousa Dembele, manager Mauricio Pochettino has cast his attention towards the 22-year-old Zakaria to fill the zap.
Spurs' chief scout has been in Germany watching the Geneva-born player, according to Sky Sports, with the youngster attracting attention across Europe with his fine performances for the Bundesliga side.
Tottenham accept £11m Mousa Dembele bid from Beijing Guoan https://t.co/9Go5a6HyMc
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) 8 January 2019
Should Tottenham secure his signature, it will come just over a year after the player rejected the opportunity to join fierce rivals Arsenal in favour of
"There was interest from England, which I can confirm, but the people at Borussia really fought very hard for me," he said.
"I had the impression that they wanted me absolutely, that impressed me, my [gut] feeling told me that Gladbach is the best choice for me. In time I can go on to an even larger club; the past has often proved that."
Zakaria had previously spent two years at Young Boys before opting to reject the advances from English clubs and join Borussia for
Denis Zakaria (22) bagged his first Borussia Mönchengladbach goal of the season this evening.
— Scouted Football (@ScoutedFtbl) 25 November 2018
He'd only been on the pitch two minutes.
Instant impact. pic.twitter.com/Bnuy55CIsJ
In total, he has made 39 appearances for Die Fohlen, netting three times. He has started eight games this season, with a further seven coming from the bench.
Source : 90min