Manchester United have sensed the opportunity to join the race for Joshua Zirkzee and he is one of their top summer targets, a report claims.
According to the latest from Sky Sports UK, Zirkzee is ’emerging as one of Manchester United’s primary transfer targets’ in view of the transfer window that will open soon, and they have ‘made their interest clear’.
The 23-year-old has a €40m release clause in his contract and is ‘one of several strikers’ United are ‘doing due diligence on’, while the report also mentions that Arsenal and Milan remain interested in Zirkzee too.
Arsenal have moved away from the idea of signing Newcastle’s Alexander Isak and Brentford’s Ivan Toney because they want a young centre-forward that they can develop.
Sky in Italy are reporting that Milan are still pushing to sign Zirkzee after they flew to London for talks over the weekend, and they ‘remain in contact with his representatives’.
Juventus are also keen on Zirkzee but are ‘currently working on other targets, and they would need to sell a striker to bring one in’.
As we reported a few hours ago, the discussions have reached a make-or-break point between Milan and Zirkzee’s representatives after suggestions that the gap on commissions was being reduced.
That is because Kia Joorabchian and his team have made it clear today that they will not budget on their €15m demands, so Milan must either agree to pay €55m (€40m plus commissions) or walk away.
There’s not a battle. Zee doesn’t want to leave Italy if we believe reports. But United is more than capable to pay the clause and the agent. But then again, they have a history of overpaying for players, and not achieving very much.
Hear me out. This is a question of numbers. On the open market, Zirkzee would go for more than 40m. Whether that is “crazy” or not, it’s true. He could easily go for 50m or more. Therefore paying the 55m while high, is not absurd. I disagree with all this talk of principles and precedents as regards fees to agents. The number is 55. Either he is worth 55 and you pay it, irrespective of what portion is transfer fee and what is agents fee, or you deem the total number too high and move on. 55m is not outrageous for a striker leading the line for a UCL club.
I mean, yea, You’re right. Ultimately it comes down to whether Milan believe that his value & potential is well above 55mil.
But then again, with the players that had left in the past, you could argue that their value and utility for the roster, would overcompensate for the fees asked by the agents. Milan took a hard stand, and they all left for free.
So I don’t even know what the right move is. I do agree, though, that for our system, Zee would be an ideal fit.
Let’s see what kind of magic Furlani can work.
What is CDK value than? If Zirkzee is 55 than CDK must be 40 million or more
Spot on
We knew a wrench would be thrown in the works as soon as they said “we’ll have big news in four hours…” I heard he wanted to stay in Italy too but I can’t see us paying 55mil… Although that article about us topping Juve’s wage for Rabiot officially confirmed we’re living in clownworld so who knows.
That article confirms that the press are making up nonsense for clicks, nothing more.
Yeh probably- sometimes we do end purchasing Matri or Bertolacci though – or paying Rabiot 7.5 mil.
They also aren’t in the CL which Bologna are so short term Utd makes no sense. We
Have to see this through, Arsenal are a threat now Sesko is out the race and I should think Oshimen goes to psg
That ‘wants to stay in Italy’ stuff is nonsense. He’ll go where the money (and to a degree competition) are.
Question is whether he’s willing to have to fight for a place in a team and it would be daft to compete with Havertz or Hojlund for that IMO, he’ll just end up back as a reserve like he was in Munich.
When you are a young player, I think familiar surroundings play a huge role in your confidence. Given his age, it would make a lot of sense to stay in the league and develop. Especially since he can also play in champions league.
But who truly knows?
They are getting burned playing the waiting game and trying to save crumbs in a cake factory.
Our project took 5 steps back with their indecision. We were at the peak of a sporting cycle with a lot of lucky signings at good prices. We had the financial means to take a risk we could balance with sales if it needed be and still would have been at a better place than we are now.
This striker, not him specifically, is 3 years late.
Our midfield and defense was consolidated, taken care of. They took a risk by being overly stingy. Now it is blowing up in their face. Inter have back up options in all positions should they have to sell their best in each one and still be stronger than we are at this day. Napoli will add players and only have one competition to mitigate. Juve and Roma are breathing down our necks.
This had to be closed last week. Now they will have to spend even more for an even more unproven asset if this doesn’t get over the line today.
Innaction, incompetence and dormant philosophy, the market moves as it dictates, no as our algorithms wish they could or expect them to. 3 years running, they drop the ball.
Now they let this kid walk, who else will you sign before the Euros when odds are, will be a window for prices to spike even further?
Last year was year 0 again because they let it become that again. These people don’t understand the basic principles and market of footba, it is flagrant.
Excellently written piece Chrisp
I find it puzzling, truly, that you see ZERO positives about where this club has come since the banter era and Chinese years…
I try not to read the doom mongers’ comments but sometimes it’s like passing a car crash and you can’t help it. Their glass-completely-empty take on everything is bizarre to say the least.
Closed what early? The deal can’t proceed before July 1st. Reach an agreement yes, but deal cant be made official and contract can’t be signed before July 1st.
I guess you forgot the part where our funds were limited. The striker is 3 years late, but if we spend 40M on a striker 3 years ago some other area would have had to suffer. BTW, 3 years ago was the summer of 2021. We went on to win the scudetto in 2021-22. If anything, we should have spent the money we spent on CDK on a striker, not CDK. THAT is where we went wrong.
How many times I get myself excited and I should know better with milan to not feel anything until it’s official. Even though he prefers an italy stay were not going to pay his agent 15m which will close negotiations and he will end up going to the prem.
Il ne vaut pas ce montant cherchons ailleurs et on verra ce qui va se passer. Il n’auront jamais les 15 m c’est du blof rien de plus. Retirons nous seulement vous verrez
Reprioritize. Go for Dovbyk!
Ne soyez pas dupes jusqu’à certains niveau. Ce joueur ne vaut pas 55m du tout et aucun club ne payera cette commission de 15 m . Ils font du blof . Laissons le et allons directement à Gerone . Surtout qu’on a besoin d’un vrai avant centre de fixation et précis.
Exactly! Dovbyk also amassed 20+ goals in La Liga, with a much more traditional striker orifike. Rather than Zirkzee, who has different characteristics.
If our board are – as so many like to point out, “risk averse bankers who only care about the books”, then there is no way on gods green earth they have just spent the last two months pursuing a target, in the blind hope that when the time comes they will be able to haggle with his agent. That’s not a thing.
As is usually the case with 200 word articles on the internet, there is more here than we know.
I absolutely agree with this.
Ya except if you look at our past that is exactly what we have been doing each transfer window…
Haggle haggle haggle.
Some blamed it on Maldini – but as we now see this wasn’t about Maldini- it is about ownership – whether that was Elliot or Redbird – they will nickel and dime every deal to save a buck and as a result risk losing the target they spent months going after to a club that won’t haggle
Same old story. Money all
Another poor attempt at revisionist history. Every target was signed last summer, and no, Thuram wasn’t a real target as he had already given his word to Inter. Leao was also renewed, even though I imagine the likes of you were saying he would leave on a free. The club are financially stable and pressing ahead with a new stadium. You’re complaining because you’re a loud mouthed ingrate with no understanding of how clubs should be run.
I think you’re new here but yeh – all this guy does is bang on about money money money. (and call people racist for no explicable reason.)
You started by refuting the essence of my comment, and then finished by reaffirming it with a “Money all” you just couldn’t resist 😆.
Yup
Walk away and never deal with this snake Kia Joorabchian again. Zirkzee won’t start at Arsenal, he’ll be part of rotation. He can play in the Europa League with Man United or the Conference League with Chelsea. A deal with Dovbyk will only take a few days.
Yeah the reality is he’s unlikely to start for any of those clubs. Let’s see how much he pushes back on his agent, the best thing for his career should clearly be Milan.
I don’t watch the Spanish league so I don’t really know but based on highlights and conjecture I’m becoming a fan of Dovbyk
Dovbik already agreed contract with Atletico Madrid. It will be another disastrous summer mercato for our striker. Just freacking get on the plane and return with Dovbik!
I have been reading the comments for more than a year and come to the conclusion that most comments here are made by teenagers who don’t either understand football and finance as well as where we are as a team and a league, are at the moment. “sign this guy, sign that guy, sell this guy, sell that guy” it’s actually sad that it’s the same people complaining about everything. Image complaining about spending wisely and prioritizing building a stadium. How can you not understand a stadium and buying young talents is the key to competing with the prem? we are minimum at best ( and very lucky with signings) 2 years away from being at Inter’s level and 3/4 years of Man city/real Madrid level.