Liverpool wanted to sign Chelsea midfielder

Liverpool were keen on landing Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria before he made the temporary move to Chelsea.

The Reds were focused on landing a defensive midfielder in the final days of the transfer window, and eventually signed Arthur from Juventus.

However, it appears that Zakaria was their first preference, but they could not agree a suitable loan fee with the Bianconeri for his signature.

As a result, Chelsea were able to capitalise on the situation. Zakaria was signed by the Blues following their failure to land Ajax's Edson Alvarez.

Zakaria did not feature in the matchday squad against West Ham due to the lack of work permit, but he is available to face Dinamo Zagreb.

The Swiss has travelled with the Blues squad to Croatia, and Tuchel has acknowledged that he could make his debut in the European outing.

The Blues have the option to sign Zakaria for €30m next summer, but the clause is optional. The midfielder will be hoping to make a big impact.