According to Italian outlet Sport Italia, Manchester United are front-runners to sign Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee at the end of the season.
Man United have been linked with many strikers over the past couple of weeks and it was recently reported that they have opened talks to ask about the availability of Zirkzee.
Sport Italia now say that the Red Devils appear to be in pole position to land the 22-year-old during the summer but he will cost them at least £43 million.
The same source claim that Bayern still have an advantage with the option of re-signing their former striker. The German champions agreed a buy-back clause worth £35 million in 2022.
Emerging striker
United splashed the cash to sign Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta last summer. The Dane has blown hot and cold this season with only 7 goals despite being a regular in the starting XI. The Red Devils have the belief that the 20-year-old could be a top striker for them in the long term with his immense potential.
However, they can’t allow the youngster to take his place for granted and need another quality striker to compete with him. Anthony Martial does not seem the answer with his contract concluding in June. United have already decided that they don’t want to trigger the 12-month clause to extend his deal.
Martial’s exit could lead the way to United signing Zirkzee, who has started to realise his potential after a difficult time at Bayern where he was a regular substitute. Zirkzee has been impressive in his 2nd season at Bologna with 8 goals and 4 assists from 22 games. He has shown good physicality, pace and ability to provide key passes.
The Dutch forward also has the knack of holding up play with good success. He could be seen as a strong competitor to Hojlund for the no.9 role at United for many seasons to come. Bologna’s fee is on the higher side, but United could pay the figure this summer where they should have some leeway on the Financial Fair Play limits.
