Why United pulled the plug for wonderkid’s signing despite talks with Real Madrid – report

Manchester United could dip into the January market for attacking reinforcements if Joshua Zirkzee departs. The Dutchman has not started a single game this season, and having lost his place in the Dutch national team, he is keen to win his place back given next year’s World Cup. And for that, he needs regular minutes. United have set certain conditions for his departure with Premier League and Serie A sides chasing his signature. Real Madrid’s Endrick was among the replacements being eyed by INEOS, but as things stand, that move is unlikely to materialise. Zirkzee replacement being eyed The Brazilian is reportedly closing in on a loan switch to Olympique Lyonnais in France. As per recent reports, he was keen to play in Europe, with Lyon a part of the Europa League. United, unfortunately, are not in any European competition this term. CaughtOffside have now claimed that was not the only reason why a January deal failed to fructify. The Red Devils wanted a loan with at least an option to buy, if not an obligation. But the Spanish giants were insistent on it making a straight loan. INEOS had no interest in giving gametime to a player they could not count on moving forward. “United officials engaged in behind-the-scenes talks with their counterparts at Madrid. Endrick deal not happening “Endrick is one of the players they’ve been looking at for January, but they wanted the option to make the move permanent. Real Madrid only wanted a straight loan, and so now it’s Lyon leading the race.” Xabi Alonso has handed the 19-year-old attacker a mere 11 minutes so far, and the striker is keen to jump ship. Should the 20-time English league champions need to bring in a striker during the January window, it would make sense to sign an experienced head alongside the young Benjamin Sesko. It makes little sense to loan in another youngster, who would have to vie with the Slovenian for minutes and end up disrupting the summer signing’s growth. Feature image Denis Doyle 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