Manchester United and Juventus could reportedly consider a swap deal involving Joshua Zirkzee and Douglas Luiz during the summer transfer window.
United had a busy January, with Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven added to Ruben Amorim’s ranks from Lecce and Arsenal respectively.
In terms of outgoings, Amorim sanctioned the loan exits of Antony, Marcus Rashford and Tyrell Malacia. Several other academy players also departed on loan.
In the early stages of the winter window, there was uncertainty over Zirkzee’s future at Old Trafford, amidst links to multiple Italian clubs including Napoli, Bologna and Juventus.
Juventus’ interest seemed the strongest as speculation grew about a reunion with Thiago Motta, who Zirkzee played under at Bologna before sealing a switch to United.
Needless to say, a transfer never materialised and Zirkzee ended up staying at United. The Red Devils are believed to have also been keen on luring Luiz as part of an effort to bolster Amorim’s options in the middle of the park. A report covered by The Peoples Person relayed that United attempted to secure Luiz’s signature on deadline day but an agreement with Juventus proved difficult.
This was recently confirmed by Fabrizio Romano who wrote for GIVEMESPORT, “Manchester United called in December to discuss the situation of both Douglas Luiz and Matheus Cunha, but never made any formal approach in January as it was too expensive a deal and not easy at all to proceed for both cases.”
“Will they return in the summer? We will see, but it’s not a concrete negotiation or discussion as of now.”
According to Tuttosport newspaper [via Football Italia], United and Juventus could go back to the negotiating table once again in the summer to discuss the viability of getting a swap deal involving Zirkzee and Luiz over the line.
Motta is still keen on working with Zirkzee again and may be open to letting Luiz go, as the midfielder has struggled to fit into his plans in Turin.
A swoop for Luiz makes sense for United, especially considering that Christian Eriksen and Casemiro are likely to depart.
Whether United would be willing to offload Zirkzee to land the Brazilian midfielder is anyone’s guess. The Dutch striker came on from the bench to score in Friday’s 2-1 comeback win over Leicester City in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
