Home » GdS: Zirkzee top of Milan’s January wish list – Man Utd’s demands after €42.5m flop
Joshua Zirkzee of Manchester United
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GdS: Zirkzee top of Milan’s January wish list – Man Utd’s demands after €42.5m flop

Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images

The fact that AC Milan are searching for a new striker seems to be no mystery, and now a new but familiar name has cropped up: Joshua Zirkzee.

La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write this morning that Zirkzee is not having the best of times in Manchester following his move to United. He is the No.1 choice for Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma, who are desperately searching for a striker for January, with Evan Ferguson set to go back to Brighton.

Milan, on the other hand, already have Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic as their first choices. Yet, behind the golden duo – who have barely been seen from the start (just one start together in 14 games due to injuries) – Santiago Gimenez and Christopher Nkunku have disappointed.

Thus, the management exploring the possibility of giving Massimiliano Allegri another striker. And the first name on the list, though certainly not the easiest, is Zirkzee. Therefore, initial contact with super agent Kia Joorabchian has already taken place in recent weeks.

Zirkzee reacts Milan
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images

The scenario

Obviously, the arrival of a player of Zirkzee’s stature would presuppose the departure of one of the squad’s strikers. The suspect is Gimenez, currently still struggling with the left ankle injury that has kept him sidelined since late October.

The Mexican continued his training session yesterday at Milanello, and the injury is becoming increasingly mysterious. The feeling is that his path to conquering Milan is now incredibly complicated, with German clubs in particular interested.

Not that things are going much better for Zirkzee at United. The Dutchman – due to Sesko’s injury – has recently been given some playing time, but the Red Devils wouldn’t be so unhappy with a January sale because he hasn’t lived up to his €42.5m price tag.

The English club’s demands are stringent, at least for now: a loan is fine, but only with an obligation to buy (if the Rossoneri qualify for the Champions League) set at around €35 ​m. Milan would prefer a simple option to buy, but the timing also complicates the puzzle.

la gazzetta dello sport 11 december

Patience and alternatives

United are not willing to let Zirkzee go before the end of January, with Mbeumo and Diallo at the Africa Cup of Nations. Joshua’s departure would be postponed until the end of the window, likely in the final days, regardless of his destination.

So, for the reasons mentioned above, Zirkzee’s name continues to be a hot topic at Milan. While he’s not the centre-forward they might need on a technical and tactical level in terms of guaranteeing 20+ goals, he is talented, physical and already knows Serie A.

If a deal cannot be agreed with United, there are obviously more names on the minds of sporting director Igli Tare and his collaborators, from suggestions like Mauro Icardi to more affordable options like West Ham’s Niclas Fullkrug.

It is clear that Milan want experienced striker, available to move on loan, and without the expectation of always starting. No matter what happens, in Allegri’s mind Leao and Pulisic are set to be the starting pairing. To dream of the Scudetto, however, perhaps more is needed.

Tags AC Milan Joshua Zirkzee

52 Comments

  1. My lord, with Zirkzee and Fulkrug being the options to “revamp” our attack we are truly on track to fully fumble and fail in yet another mercato.

    1. There is no attack to be “revamped”. Our starting strikers are Leao and Pulisic. What we need is an alternate profile to the two of them (so more of a traditional no. 9) who won’t have trouble coming off the bench and is also a proven goal scorer.

  3. No thanks to him – not good enough

    No thanks to his “agent”- a crook

    No thanks to UTD, just because they paid stupid money for him doesn’t mean we should refund them

  4. I don’t understand the need to find players that you are 100% sure will flop. Go and find a better striker in Mexico or Brazil. Stay away from Lucca, Holjund and Zirkzee

  5. 42 millions after flop ? What a delusional demand…
    What about loan with transfer option for 30-35 millions ? Take it or leave it.

      1. I think you’ll find Furlani is a pen pusher, he doesn’t identify targets. He’s been at the club for 3 years and you still don’t understand his job.

          2. “It suggests that Furlani went against the wishes of the coach and director, just to keep things sweet with the Blues.”

            Meaning the deal was for political purposes. It had nothing to do with pen pusher Furlani, who knows nothing about football, thinking Nkunku was going to be the solution in attack.

          3. ““It suggests that Furlani went against the wishes of the coach and director, just to keep things sweet with the Blues.”

            and

            “Meaning the deal was for political purposes. It had nothing to do with pen pusher Furlani,”

            So… According to you 1+1 is… what, 34??? 😀 😀 😀 😀

          4. LMAO @bb… He said it states no such thing and then proceeds to quote the thing saying it said such a thing
            LMAO can’t make this ish up 🤣😭🤣😭

        2. I don’t understand his job? Says the guy who disses Pulisic as a “one time wonder” coming off the bench!! 😀 😀 😀

          FFS… 😀 😀 😀

          1. I said no such thing. In addition to not understand the role of a CEO, you also don’t understand the correct usage of speech marks. I criticised Pulisic for being injury prone, I never said he was a one-time wonder, nor would I use that phrase because I know the correct phrase – it’s one season wonder. Get yourself educated.

    2. In case you haven’t noticed, everyone flops at ManUtd because the club has become a joke. Go back and watch him in Bologna.

  6. As a replace for nkunku. Thats Ok. But instead of giminez it have to be some1 like Giroud. To be Honest, its good that we hadnt bet on vlahovic or boniface. But a profile like woltemade is needed, for high balls and physical strong.
    And we need Upgrades for freekicks and wideshots. We waste alot to much on calm balls.

  8. I really wonder if we would have kept abraham or Jovic if they would have contributed more (in terms of goals) than Nkunku and Gimenez. I understand what Gimenez provides to our team in terms of positioning and hold up play but we need goals and honeslty i feel like Jovic and Abraham would have scored by 14 games in…

    1. You really don’t have to wonder “whether if”… It’s so bloody obvious to everyone that either of them would have been faaaaar more useful to us than those two we now have.

    2. Yeah Jovic is a good finisher and had been contributing well in the build up also. Why on Earth we didn’t keep him? He cost us nothing

      1. Jovic wasn’t very good with his back to goal. The only time he scored was when we would have more than one attacker in the box and he had space.

    1. You clearly don’t remember his interchange play at Bologna. He was very good in that system, which is why ManUtd took notice of him in the first place …

  11. guys, relax. We are not getting him. Havent we learned already? We will be linked with every striker in the world, from Robert Lew, this guy, Jonathan David etc. To some totally unreachable like Mbappe lol to our classics Icardi, Berardi. We will end up with either a loan, or some really unknown guy.

  12. We don’t need him he is not a striker he is also a flop. he snob us when we needed him so why should we go after him again? I don’t really understand our managements. they should stop all these madness

  13. I have actually mentioned his name in previous articles. If he replicates his Bologna movement and form, he would be useful to Max in the way he wants to build up play.

    Zee is good with his back to goal, technically better than Gimenez and Nkunku and can contribute to attack in the way the other two just cant. He’s not a small unit either – he can hold up defenders with his back to goal.

    Of all the names mention, I think he’s a decent option.

  14. I know that he is not the classic striker that everyone wants in the team now, but he is a very quality player and two seasons ago i used to watch Bologna games only because of him!

  16. IMHO, Icardi fits the bill. Prolific goal scorer who has found himself benched by Osimhen despite being captain. At 33 he would not demand to be a starter. He would have the opportunity to demonstrate his quality in a top 5 league once again, and get one over his former employers (Inter). He can play with his back to goal, he can shoot, he knows positioning. His contract expires in 2026, meaning we could get him for peanuts in January. His current minutes per goal played rate is 85′, and that’s with a starting eleven percentage of 33%. Leao’s current minutes per goal played is 132′, for comparison. 3 year deal plus a club option for 1 more at 4-5M net.

  18. Mateta- except now he is missing a game because of a knee problem. Expected to return the following game. 15 games, 7 goals. I just don’t see Zirkzee as a straight up 9. I think Allegri wants a player who will be strong in the box.

  20. quite intrigued tbh, so far many of the united’s exit players shine on their new clubs.. I wonder if zirkzee could also be the same.

  22. There are a lot of haters; also, there are a lot of people who are fans of other clubs posting here, and there are fans of the club who don’t know as much or have too much of an ego about this club.

    The objective truth is that Pulisic is the only one that seems to make this system function offensively speaking. Leao is scoring, but you see a drop in effectiveness; this is because Leao sincerely doesn’t know how to use his body when in the box. He doesn’t know how to read the play that is happening when Milan is going forward. Pulisic is reading the game and getting in the box at the right time.

    So effectively Milan is lacking options other than Pulisic; Leao is fine but not good enough. There is Kean from Fiorentina; he would fit in like a glove, but there are no reports of Milan targeting him. Fiorentina are in a relegation battle, but for sure next summer Milan has to go for him. To be even more honest, Gimenez can be good enough as he is better than Leao at reading the play and knows how to operate when in the box. So trust in him, Pulisic, Leao, and a loan signing to get to the finish line.

    Zirkzee isn’t a necessity, and neither is Lucca, but as a substitute in order to make it to the summer, that is a smart move.

    1. i like what you said, Gimenez just needs to start scoring then everything changes. if he scores in the next five games a brace in each, talks will stop of a new no.9 but benzema a nice one to take on loan plus he would have the chance to win a serie a title on a 6 months loan.

  27. I think one of the best options in the market at a free price is Benzema. Excellent player, not expecting to play everyday, can do everything as a no.9. balondor winner. only problem would be the salary. but he would be a nice quick stop for the next 2 years or so while other learn from him

  28. Pinamonti, Pinamonti, Pinamonti. This idiotic resistance to signing players from Serie A needs to stop. Pinamonti would fit like a glove.

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