Joshua Zirkzee seems to be attracting the interest of nearly every top European club, and AC Milan are among those insisting the most as they look for a new striker.
As Calciomercato.com write, Zirkzee is the prototype of the modern striker because he scores goals, gets assists, he is physical, fast and good with his head, he drops deep to get involved in the build-up play and he has a knack for being in the right place in the right time.
In his second season in Bologna he has exploded with 10 goals and six assists in 27 games across all comeptitions, which marks the second best season of his career after the 18 goals with Anderlecht before joining the Rossoblù.
For months the whole world has noticed Zirkzee’s qualities; every week scouts from top German, Spanish, English and French clubs arrive at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara and the reports are always all positive. Geoffrey Moncada has watched him in person multiple times, for example.
Details of the deal
In the summer of 2022, Bologna invested €8.5m to sign Zirkzee Bayern Munich who preferred to focus on Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting. Today he is worth more than triple that amount.
It was yet another intuition from director Giovanni Sartori and his staff, who had sensed the player’s qualities despite the fact he found little playing time in Parma between January and June 2021.
Bayern were aware that Zirkzee could do well by finding consistent minutes and that is why they included a €40m buy-back clause which is valid only in certain periods of the summer transfer window.
If instead he were to go to another club, the Bundesliga champions will receive 40% of the future capital gain which is something that will weigh on Bologna’s asking price.
Calls from Italy
Zirkzee is the top name on Milan’s list for the summer. The Rossoneri are on the hunt for a striker and the Dutchman is the player that everyone agrees on: the management is ready to sacrifice Colombo valued at around €15m euros to invest €45-50m in the 22-year-old.
Furthermore, there is an open discussion between the two clubs regarding Alexis Saelemaekers, who went on loan with an option to buy to the Rossoblù, who in turn are satisfied with his performances and want to keep him.
The other Italian club that is following the developments related to Zirkzee’s future is Napoli, who have identified him as the ideal replacement for Victor Osimhen given he will probably leave Serie A in the summer.
In recent months, their president Aurelio De Laurentiis has inquired about the player and there has been direct contact with Bologna to understand what the margins are for a possible negotiation.
At the moment Bologna have postponed any discussion regarding Zirkzee’s future until the summer, the team is focused on the battle for a Champions League place. Then, it will be time to talk.
Keep Colombo, please. The boy has potential.
Is Bayern option a buyback or right of first refusal?
Different reports say different things.
It’s a buy-back, though I heard there are clauses with penalties that don’t let Bayern buy for 40 mill and re-sell right away.
The more other clubs want Zirkzee, the more his price goes up, and with that the less chance he has of ending up with us. They won’t get 15 million for Colombo, and Bologna won’t buy Saelemaekers from us! They will get money for CDK and probably Maldini. Our earning plans always fail somehow unless we sell the best players to the arabs!
Bologna will accept 15 mill value only if they inflate both player prices (e.g. Zirkzee 60 mill = Colombo + 45 mill)
I agree that Bologna will play hardball on Saele (we already have Puli and Chuk) but if they get CL spot, they will probably buy him. A lot will depend on Bologna’s next coach.
Stop with the lie that Colombo is valued at €15 million. He’s not even Krunic level, Milan will take €1-2 million for him, now would Bologna want him.
Could’ve had Retegui for 12 millions last summer. That kid is on the uprising.