Zirkzee to Man Utd: €40m striker picks his next club

Tom Weber

• Updated: 2 Jul 2024 16:49 BST
• 4 min read

Joshua Zirkzee is still keen on joining AC Milan despite Manchester United's concrete interest, according to Italian and German media.

The Bologna striker is on the way out after a historic season. The Serie A side managed to spectacularly qualify for the Champions League last term, but they will unfortunately be taken apart this summer.

Star centre-back Riccardo Calafiori is expected to head to the Premier League after impressing at Euro 2024, while Zirkzee too is likely to depart. In fact, the Dutchman will definitely leave, according to Bologna's technical director Giovanni Sartori.

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On Monday, the transfer chief admitted: “He has a clause, so he will 99.9 per cent leave.” Sartori is referring to Zirkzee's €40 million release clause, which allows clubs to sign him by bypassing negotiations with his current employer.

Zirkzee's next destination, however, is not yet known, with Man Utd and AC Milan battling it out for his signature.

Zirkzee wants Milan

The Rossoneri have been hot on his trail for months and they have had the green light from the player for several weeks. The only reason why the deal has not been sealed yet is because Milan are unwilling to match the hefty commission demands of his agent Kia Joorabchian.

This has led to an impasse in the talks and attracted the attention of Man Utd, who have fully entered the race for the former Bayern man. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Red Devils are prepared to pay Zirkzee's release clause, his wages and Joorabchian's commission.

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However, Man Utd's new recruitment department is still internally discussing whether the 23-year-old is really the striker they want to bring in this summer.

Intriguingly, both Sky Germany and Calciomercato report that Zirkzee would still prefer to remain in Italy and sign for Milan despite the positive talks with Man Utd. It is asserted that, if given the choice, he would pick the Rossoneri over the Red Devils.

However, unless Milan agree to yield to his agent's demands, it looks as though Zirkzee might have no choice but to head to Old Trafford rather than San Siro.