Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa are rumoured to have entered the race to recruit Joshua Zirkzee, so Manchester United must decide whether to intensify their pursuit of the striker or give up.
It was revealed on January 9 that Man Utd is really interested in Zirkzee. The 22-year-old’s outstanding performance at Bologna in Italy is expected to result in a “bombardment” of offers this year.
Zirkzee has made 22 appearances so far this season, managing eight goals and four assists, including Serie A goals against Inter Milan, Fiorentina, and Torino.
The Dutchman’s impact on Bologna is so great that, earlier this month, in a 1-1 league draw with Genoa, he captained the team—an amazing accomplishment for someone Zirkzee’s age.
In recent weeks, speculation over the attacker’s future has been rampant. Edu allegedly approved Arsenal’s move for Zirkzee on January 13, but Man Utd shocked the Gunners by starting “early talks” on a trade.
The Zirkzee story has now taken on yet another turn. Tuttomercatoweb claims that there is no assurance he will end up at Old Trafford. This is due to the fact that numerous other teams, including Tottenham and Aston Villa, Man Utd’s Premier League rivals, have just entered the running.
Additionally, AC Milan is prepared to work hard to negotiate a deal with Bologna in Italy. Bologna does not strengthen a Serie A rival like Milan because it is thought that they would like to sell Zirkzee to an English club, but the Rossoneri will still give it their best shot.
Due in part to his alluring €40 million (£34 million) release clause, Zirkzee is being pursued by a lot of teams. In the current market, that is a good deal for a young centre forward with an excellent eye for goal.
Aston Villa, Tottenham, and Manchester United all centre around one attacker.
Bayern Munich will receive half of Zirkzee’s future transfer price, as the Netherlands U21 ace was transferred to Bologna in August 2022. Bayern can also choose to re-sign him, but they’re prepared to pass up that chance in favour of Mathys Tel, who they believe can eventually succeed Harry Kane.
Tottenham’s pursuit of a replacement striker makes sense. When Kane left in the summer, they never really replaced him, depending instead on Son Heung-min and Richarlison up front.
Richarlison has been much more lethal in front of goal lately, but Son has been in outstanding form this season. However, Spurs want to compete with England’s best teams once more, and in order to accomplish that, they need to give Ange Postecoglou another striker option. Zirkzee is a good fit, and with Spurs entering the picture, Man Utd will have to decide quickly whether to pursue signing him.
