New Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino has decided that on-loan Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria will not be part of his plans heading into the 2023-24 season, therefore the Swiss international is set to return to Turin in the summer after an underwhelming spell in the Premier League .
Zakaria joined the Blues on an initial loan deal at the beginning of September and the West Londoners retained the option to make his move permanent for a fee of €30m, although the club have since decided against activating that clause in his contract.
The 26-year-old has struggled with hamstring injuries since his arrival at Stamford Bridge and has been limited to just 11 appearances across all competitions this campaign.
Originally joining Juventus in a deal worth €8.6m with six months on his contract with Borussia Moenchengladbach at the time, Zakaria has only turned out for the Bianconeri on 15 occasions since January 2021, but still has a contract with the club until the summer of 2026.
As per Fabrizio Romano, Pochettino has also decided against including Zakaria in his future plans, meaning that he will return to Juventus in the summer, when it will be up to the Old Lady to decide upon the best course of action.