Manchester United are the only club to hold formative talks over a potential transfer for Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee so far, despite interest from others such as Arsenal, according to Ben Jacobs.
Writing in his exclusive Daily Briefing column for this week, Jacobs told CaughtOffside that there remains some confusion over Zirkzee’s situation this summer, as he may have a €40million release clause, though his club have insisted that only applies as a buy-back clause for Bayern Munich.
Jacobs adds that a return to Bayern is seen as unlikely for the moment, and it seems Man Utd may have done the most work on this potential deal, even if the transfer news expert also suggests it may be worth keeping an eye on the likes of Tottenham and Ajax as well.
Zirkzee has caught the eye in Serie A and it would be exciting to see the talented young Dutchman moving to the Premier League in the near future, with both Arsenal and United clearly in need of signings up front.
The Red Devils have not seen the best of Marcus Rashford or Rasmus Hojlund this season, so there could be room for another option for Erik ten Hag to rotate with those two.
Arsenal. meanwhile, are in a decent position but a clear weakness in their squad seems to be the inconsistent finishing of players like Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah, with Zirkzee perhaps an upgrade in that area of the pitch.
Discussing Zirkzee’s situation, Jacobs said: “In terms of possible signings, there is plenty of interest in Bologna’s Joshua Zirkzee. The 22-year-old has seven goals in 15 Serie A games this season. Arsenal and Manchester United are both tracking the Dutch forward with a view to the summer. Tottenham could also enter the race.
“There remains some confusion over Zirkzee’s €40m summer release clause, but Bologna director Marco Di Vaio insists it is ‘only valid for Bayern’.
“A return to Bayern is unlikely but not impossible. Manchester United are the only Premier League club to date to begin any formative talks. Ajax, who considered Zirkzee last summer, also retain an interest but will struggle to meet the asking price. They was never full consensus within the club to move for Zirkzee last year but his form now has led to some firmer support within the club.”