Manchester United striker target Joshua Zirkzee prefers Serie A stay with AC Milan leading the race
Manchester United’s late collapse against Chelsea in the Premier League on Thursday has heaped further pressure on manager Erik ten Hag.
Alejandro Garnacho struck a brace but some poor defending allowed Cole Palmer to strike a hat-trick and condemn the Red Devils to their 12th defeat of the current campaign.
After scoring in seven consecutive league games, Rasmus Hojlund has not scored in his last three appearances but still remains the only player with double digit goals this campaign.
Marcus Rashford’s commitment was once again questioned following a disappointing cameo at Stamford Bridge and with Anthony Martial set to leave in the summer, recruiting a striker in the summer is of utmost importance.
United’s striker hunt
United have been linked with a multiple of frontmen throughout the campaign but one name that keeps getting mentioned is Joshua Zirkzee of Bologna.
The 22-year-old has 11 goals and six assists in 31 games across all competitions and is the Serie A team’s top-scorer with Thiago Motta’s men currently fourth and in with a chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
The Netherlands U21 international’s displays have alerted United to his availability with Arsenal also reportedly in the race. But as per Gazzetta Dello Sport, AC Milan are currently in pole position for the former Bayern Munich star.
Zirkzee, who had won the Champions League during his time in Bavaria, has been likened to Robert Lewandowski in the past and the Bundesliga giants have a buyback clause but the player is reluctant to return as he “prefers to stay in Serie A” for the time being.
At the Rossoneri, he would be the undisputed starter and have the chance to prove his worth at a huge club with an interesting project under Stefano Pioli.
“Certainly, he prefers Milan to Bayern Munich, which has a 40 million option to exercise at the end of the season.
“Joshua knows that at Milan he will not need to change, he will play in a championship and face a group of opponents that he knows well, at the same time he can also test himself in the Champions League and be with a great team.”
The major obstacle will be his prospective fee with Bologna looking at United’s deal for Hojlund last summer and using it as a benchmark and are set to ask for around €70-80 million.
Zirkzee prefers Serie A stay
The seven-time Champions League winners cannot afford to pay that amount and are willing to throw in Alexis Saelemaekers as part of a player-plus-cash deal.
Their main fear is United and Arsenal could potentially blow them out of the water if they come in with an offer Bologna cannot refuse.
“It is reasonable to hypothesize that Milan could reach close to 50 million, taking advantage of Alexis Saelemaekers loan, which Bologna can redeem for around ten million and is highly appreciated by Thiago Motta.
“If the big English teams arrive in Italy with a bag full of coins, they become irresistible. Manchester United have already made a move for Zirkzee and, if they returned with a big cheque, the player has a good chance of leaving. The same goes for Arsenal, who are less talked about but have a perfect project for Zirkzee.”
