Club director confirms he has spoken with Man Utd directly in hopes of signing 65-app star before deadline

(Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) AS Roma have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee.The Serie A outfit had begun targeting Zirkzee in the months leading up to the winter window while monitoring his uncertain situation at Old Trafford.AS Roma and Joshua Zirkzee: The state of play(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)Roma believed a mid-season deal would be feasible due to how little the forward was playing in the first half of the campaign; prior to the clash with Everton on November 24, he had not started a single Premier League game and had been an unused substitute for seven of the opening nine matches.However, absences in the squad paved the way for Zirkzee to feature more prominently, and he then started three successive games on the bounce.Even though he has been unable to cement a place in the XI, United are adamant about keeping the Dutchman at Michael Carrick’s disposal for the remainder of the season. Appearances (starts) Goals Assists 65 (26) 9 4 *Zirkzee’s complete record since signing for United in July 2024Roma’s director, Fredric Massara, said of his side’s interest (via BBC Sport journalist Simon Stone): “Man Utd said no quite clearly a couple of weeks ago and they have not changed their minds.”Zirkzee awaiting first appearance under Carrick(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)Zirkzee missed Saturday’s Manchester derby triumph through injury, but will be chomping at the bit to show Carrick what he’s capable of when he’s back in the matchday squad.The 24-year-old has returned two goals and an assist in 16 appearances so far. One of those goals came in the first half of United’s draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on December 30, following which he was bizarrely withdrawn by Ruben Amorim at the interval.The match would go on to mark Amorim’s penultimate outing in the dugout.Read more: Matheus Cunha publicly urges struggling teammate to stay put and rule out January departure amid ongoing talks