Report: Liverpool actually tried to sign 25-year-old midfielder this summer, but he ended up joining Chelsea

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Reports from Italy suggest that Chelsea were not alone in trying to sign Denis Zakaria from Juventus on deadline day.

According to Calcio Mercato, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool also made a late move for the 25-year-old, with them looking to solve their own early-season midfield crisis.

Last season’s FA Cup and League Cup champions have not enjoyed a great start to the season, added to by an uninspiring 0-0 draw with fierce rivals Everton at the weekend.

Their midfield situation is particularly dire right now, with Thiago, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all out through injury.

This saw them looking to make a late move for an emergency replacement on deadline day, with them eventually settling on Arthur Melo from Juventus, a player Chelsea have been linked with in the past.

Liverpool tried to sign Zakaria

However, Calcio Mercato has claimed the Reds actually tried to sign Zakaria as their first option, before settling on his Brazilian teammate.

Chelsea have been in the midst of somewhat of their own midfield crisis, triggered by the loss of N’golo Kante.

The Blues have struggled in central areas since the Frenchman’s injury against Spurs, with Mateo Kovacic still coming back to full fitness and Ruben Loftus-Cheek being forced off against Southampton.

The situation was not helped on the pitch either, with Conor Gallagher picking up a needless red card against Leicester City.

With the fixtures now beginning to build up to be reaching three games in seven days, the signing of Zakaria is important to an area which is known now for being prone to injuries.

While the Switzerland international has been affected by injuries in recent years, the heights he hit before those is more than enough to suggest that he can be a strong asset to this Chelsea team, with some of the current squad surely looking forward to a rest on the pitch.