Why would Bayern Munich striker Joshua Zirkzee pick Parma over Everton?

Stefan Bienkowski

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 2 min read

Parma seem to have won the race to loan highly-rated Bayern Munich striker Joshua Zirkzee before the end of the January transfer window. 

According to Sky Italia, the Serie A side have moved above Premier League side Everton in the pecking order and are now set to welcome the 19-year-old talent to Italy. 

Along with the six-month loan move, Parma will also reportedly have an option to buy the player for €15 million. 

So, if Everton really were interested in signing Zirkzee, why has the young Dutch player opted for a team at the foot of the Italian top-flight table? 

According to German newspaper BILD, Parma made a more tempting offer to the young striker simply because they were able to promise regular game time. 

Despite the links to Everton, the Merseyside club couldn’t shy away from the fact that Carlo Ancelotti already has an established No.9 in Dominic Calvert-Lewin, along with other options like Cenk Tosun or Richarlison. 

While Parma do have two stand-out strikers in the form of Andrea Adorante and Andreas Cornelius, the former has managed just one goal in four appearances this season, while the latter has failed to find the back of the net despite featuring for the Italian side 16 this season. 

As such, it wouldn’t take a lot of convincing for Parma head coach Roberto D’Aversa to immediately turn to Zirkzee and offer him a starting role up front for the troubled Serie A side upon his arrival at the end of this month. 

There’s also the question of a viable, long-term future at Parma. Despite breaking into the Bayern first team last season, Zirkzee has struggled to make an impression this time around and would do well to find game time elsewhere while the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller are consistently scoring for Hansi Flick’s first team.