Second Italian club talking to United star’s entourage over January deal as tug-of-war escalates – report

Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee’s future remains very much uncertain as the January transfer window approaches. Zirkzee’s lack of minutes The Dutchman has struggled for game time and consistency this season. Zirkzee has not managed to capitalise on the sale of Rasmus Hojlund to increase his playing time. The three summer signings of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko have dominated the starting positions in the attacking areas. Even Mason Mount has regularly started in a front three this season. Sesko’s injury led to an increase in minutes for Zirkzee, who scored his only goal of the season away to Crystal Palace at the end of November. Nonetheless, the return to fitness of both Cunha and Sesko has resulted in a reduction in Zirkzee’s game time once again. Transfer rumours As a result, there have been numerous conflicting reports regarding the future of the former Bologna star. It has been suggested that Zirkzee is happy to stay at the club and fight for his place. There have also been several reports to the contrary, suggesting that while United do not want to sell the player, they could be convinced by an offer of €35‑40 million. Italian club AS Roma have been most frequently linked with a move, and there have been rumours that their directors have already been in contact with United over a deal. There have also been reports that fellow Italian giants AC Milan and Juventus are keen to strengthen their attacking options with Zirkzee. In addition, if the Dutch striker were to remain in England, it is believed that both Leeds United and West Ham United would be interested in signing him. Milan intensify interest Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport reports that “despite his different profile, in recent weeks there have been contacts with the entourage of Joshua Zirkzee, a long-time target at Milan.” They claim that Zirkzee is desperate to leave Old Trafford and that he “would gladly return to Italy, where he exploded with success at Bologna.” Problematically for the Serie A giants, United want a €35 million obligation to buy inserted into any loan deal and would only sanction a move near the end of January. Finally, they also face stiff competition from Roma. The newspaper concludes, “in short, it’s not a simple deal, even if the Rossoneri remain vigilant and hope for a breakthrough in the coming weeks.” Joshua Zirkzee season stats AppearancesGoalsAssistsMinutes 1010355 Source: transfermarkt.com Featured image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.