Chelsea 'unlikely to sign Denis Zakaria on permanent deal'

On the final day of the summer transfer window, the Blues opted to sign the Juventus midfielder on loan for the rest of the season.

At the time, Thomas Tuchel was in charge and keen on the player, but the German was sacked a week later and replaced by Graham Potter who initially favoured other options.

However, either side of the World Cup break, Zakaria came into favour, making an instant impression to retain his spot in the starting lineup.

Nevertheless, the Switzerland international has still been restricted to six starts and four substitute outings in all competitions, his game time not helped by a month-long thigh injury sustained in January.

On a positive note, Zakaria was recently used as a replacement to help Chelsea see out victories against Leeds United and Borussia Dortmund respectively.

According to journalist Florian Plettenburg, though, Chelsea are unlikely to take advantage of their buy clause at the end of the season.

That fee allegedly stands at €30m (£26.3m), an asking price seemingly not deemed to be value for money at a time when alternatives are being sought.

Plettenburg claims that Chelsea are instead looking at other players who can play as a number six, theoretically providing competition for Enzo Fernandez.

The World Cup winner has already established himself as a key component of Graham Potter's team, and any new arrival is highly unlikely to dislodge the club-record signing.

Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante, Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are also in Potter's squad, although at least one of that quartet are expected to leave the West Londoners in the summer.

While Kante has been tipped to sign a new contract, the other trio are each fighting for their futures at the club, particularly Kovacic and Loftus-Cheek who have less than 16 months remaining on their existing deals.

In recent weeks, Chelsea have been linked with Southampton's Romeo Lavia and Borussia Monchengladbach's Kouadio Kone, while they have a long-standing interest in West Ham United's Declan Rice.