Ex-Gladbacher is captain
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This article was first published on August 18 at 4:13 p.m. and was updated with new information.
Denis Zakaria has been playing for AS Monaco since 2023, and he has rehabilitated his career there in Turin and London after mixed years. Most recently, the 28-year-old midfielder waved the biggest contract of his career-in Saudi Arabia. According to the matching French reports, the Monegassen were in advanced talks with the al-Nahli SFC. However, a change does not come about.
Monaco released a statement on Tuesday in which the association emphasized that Zakaria will remain this summer. “Due to numerous media reports from the past few days, the club wants to clarify the situation and reports that his captain Denis Zakaria, who recently aroused the interest of a Saudi association, will not leave the club until the end of the transfer period.”
Zakaria is still tied to the Ligue-1 club until 2028 and was on the field at the 3-1 season for over 90 minutes at the start of the 2025/26 season. The Swiss international prepared the goal for the final score by Maghnes Akliouche (23), which, like substitute Elise Ben Seghir (20), was prepared by the Swiss international at Bayer Leverkusen.
In Mönchengladbach, Zakaria had once reached its highest market value, 45 million euros. In January 2022, he moved to Juventus at half a year and brought the foals a transfer of EUR 11.35 million, including a participation in the transfer to the Principality of 2023. Zakaria did not reach its top form among the Italians and also during a loan to Chelsea. Since the Monaco transfer, the market value for the native Geneva has been going uphill for the first time-and also continuously. He came from Juventus with a taxation of 18 million and is currently again at 30 million euros.
So far, Al-Nahli has reported four newcomers this summer: the Saudi professionals Mohammed Abdulrahman (22), Abdulelah Al-Khaibri (28) and Saleh Abu al-Shamat (23) for around 10.8 million and ex-Stuttgart Enzo Millot (23) for 28 million euros. Gabri Veiga (23, Porto), Allan Saint-Maximin (28, CF América), Roberto Firmino (33, al-Sadd) and Alexsander (21, Atlético Mineiro) came up with EUR 38.8 million.