Arsenal and Man Utd target's value explodes and reaches record high

Yanick Vos

• Updated: 4 Mar 2024 17:12 GMT
• 5 min read

Joshua Zirkzee is enjoying a big breakout season as a striker at Bologna.

His success in Serie A has had a positive impact on his market value. According to FootballTransfers data, the Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of the 22-year-old Dutch attacker has risen to a record high this month.

A breakthrough at Bayern Munich was not possible for Zirkzee. After loan stints at Parma and Anderlecht, he made the permanent switch to Bologna in the summer of 2022 for a transfer fee of €8.5 million. He now appears to be well worth that investment for one of the big surprises of this season.

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With ten goals and three assists in Serie A, Zirkzee has made a major contribution to the success of Thiago Motta's team. Bologna have climbed to fourth place in the league standings and are seriously competing for qualification to the group stage of the Champions League.

Only Victor Osimhen (11), Paulo Dybala (12), Olivier Giroud (12), Dusan Vlahovic (15) and Lautaro Martínez (23) have scored more goals in Serie A than Zirkzee.

Zirkzee's national team reward

Due to his excellent performances in a Bologna shirt, Netherlands national coach Ronald Koeman can no longer ignore him. Zirkzee has been included in the pre-selection of the Dutch national team, it was announced last Friday.

Whether a final call-up will materialise will soon become apparent ahead of the friendly matches against Scotland and Germany later this month. In the meantime, Zirkzee is doing everything he can to claim a spot in the team.

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Last weekend, he made the net bulge again. In the away match against Atalanta, he scored the equalizer from the penalty spot. A goal from Lewis Ferguson a few minutes later gave Bologna an important victory.

Zirkzee's value explosion

The fact that Zirkzee is the big revelation in Serie A is also reflected in his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV). His value has skyrocketed in recent months.

While at the end of last year, he had a value of €11.2m, as of this month he has an ETV of €21.6m. This is an increase of no less than 92.9 per cent. Never before has Zirkzee had such a high ETV.

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If Zirkzee succeeds in continuing this trend, a big summer transfer is in prospect. In the media, he is linked to various European top clubs. In Italy, he is frequently associated with AC Milan.

English media, meanwhile, reports that Manchester United are targeting the former youth player of ADO Den Haag, while Arsenal and Newcastle United are also said to be following him.

Joshua Zirkzee's future

Bayern Munich also keep a close eye on Zirkzee's activities. The Germans finally said goodbye to him in the summer of 2022 but did stipulate a buy-back clause and a resale percentage. This way they can bring him back to Bavaria for €40m. If he transfers to another club, the Bundesliga giants will receive 50 per cent of the fee.

According to Italian media, a price tag of no less than €65m is hanging around the neck of the striker who has yet to make his debut in the Dutch national team. Zirkzee says he doesn't care much about those rumours.

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"It is extreme," he recently admitted to De Telegraaf. "If you play well in Serie A, things can move quickly. But yes, it is the media, I take it with a grain of salt." Recently, Zlatan Ibrahimovic said that he would like to see Zirkzee play for AC Milan.

"I received it, it is a nice compliment," said the attacker, who is contracted until 2026. "Something like that drives me because I want nothing more than for it to continue like this. In any case, it means that I am on the right track."

"But for me, the most important thing is that I stay fit, that I play and that I perform. Who knows what happens next."