Manchester United turned down Juventus’ approach for Joshua Zirkzee, as per Fabrizio Romano.
Zirkzee had a very tough start to life in Manchester. After impressing at Bologna under Thiago Motta, the Dutchman agreed to join United in the summer in a deal believed to be worth £36.5 million.
The 23-year-old scored on his debut but swiftly fell out of favour under Erik ten Hag. Ruben Amorim’s arrival initially made little difference as the Netherlands international continued to struggle for minutes.
He ended 2024 on a frustrating note as Amorim hooked him off after just 33 minutes in his side’s 2-0 loss to Newcastle United. The jeers from the crowd at Old Trafford only made things worse.
Amid this, it has been widely reported that the Red Devils are open to letting him leave in January, with clubs in Italy keen on bringing him back to Serie A, where he was brilliant with Bologna.
However, Fabrizio Romano has now claimed that United closed the doors when Juve made an attempt to sign the struggling forward earlier this month.
As per the Italian journalist, before the Old Lady signed Randal Kolo Muani from Paris Saint-Germain, they presented “a formal approach” to United for Zirkzee.
The Serie A giants wanted a loan deal with an “important” option to buy. They were prepared to cover his salary as well as pay a loan fee to get the deal over the line.
United, however, remained adamant that their young forward isn’t going anywhere. Further, the player is believed to be equally keen on staying and fighting for his place at the Theatre of Dreams.
In recent games, Zirkzee, who has four goals and two assists to his name so far this season, has looked a lot more promising.
In particular, he was brilliant against Southampton after coming off the bench.
His hold-up play and ball-carrying helped the Mancunians push the visitors into the final third and bag three late goals to take all three points.
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Vishal Singh
Vishal has covered football for over five years. Currently a writer at The Peoples Person. Big fan of ball-playing center-backs!
