United “confident” of selling INEOS signing in the summer despite his desire to stay and fight for his place – report

Manchester United need to be ruthless when it comes to offloading players in the summer in order to afford all of their top targets. The goal must be to earn a profit from sales and Joshua Zirkzee has been earmarked for an exit after a disappointing couple of seasons at Old Trafford. He is not a natural goalscorer, with the Dutchman registering a mere two goals this season and nine overall in his two campaigns in England. The 24-year-old possesses a deft touch and some silky smooth moves, but that cannot compensate for the lack of hunger and application out on the pitch. Joshua Zirkzee has been a failure at United His recent performance against Sunderland when given a rare opportunity to start, and his cameo against Nottingham Forest were ample proof that INEOS need to cut their losses. While the Netherlands international would like to stay and fight for his place, he simply has not done enough to justify a third season in red. The Red Devils need a proven goalscorer to back up Benjamin Sesko, and INEOS are reportedly eyeing an experienced option in the market. The 20-time English league champions signed Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna for £36.5 million, and they could raise close to that amount given he has suitors both in England and Italy. Return to Serie A on the cards “Manchester United are confident of selling Joshua Zirkzee this summer amid interest from multiple Serie A clubs, sources have told Football Insider. “The 24-year-old has been way down the pecking order and has rarely started for Man United this season, and could be allowed to leave in search of first-team football. “Having impressed in Serie A before his big-money move to Old Trafford in 2024, there is a growing feeling a return to Italy could be the best move for him.” Everton, AS Roma and Juventus are among the sides in the race, and it will be interesting to see how much INEOS can earn from his sale and where Joshua Zirkzee ultimately ends up. Feature image George Wood 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 Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25