Man Utd axe Zirkzee: Next club and replacement already known

Updated: 21 Oct 2024 16:22 BST
4 min read

Joshua Zirkzee has not made a convincing impression in his first months at Manchester United.

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The Dutch international has only scored once for the Premier League giants and now seems to be allowed to leave again. TeamTalk reports that Man Utd are working on the arrival of Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig, after which Zirkzee could leave on loan.

The Red Devils look set to overhaul their attacking line-up again next summer. Erik ten Hag's side were already interested in Sesko last summer, as were Arsenal.

United managed to sign Zirkzee from Bologna for a fee of €42.5 million, while Arsenal were left empty-handed. The Slovenian opted to sign a new contract with Leipzig, which meant his release clause of €65m was no longer valid.

Although Sesko's new contract no longer contains an official release clause, there is a "gentleman's agreement" in which Leipzig have promised not to stop him if he wants to leave in 2025 or 2026.

Man Utd to axe Zirkzee for Sesko?

According to recent reports from TuttoMercatoWeb, Man Utd are planning to make a bid for Sesko in 2025. However, this could have implications for Zirkzee's future at the club, as United would then have three strikers for one position.

As a result, the Dutch striker could potentially be loaned out. Zirkzee has not had a successful start to life at Old Trafford, with just one goal and no assists in 11 games. It is not without reason that Rasmus Højlund seems to be Erik ten Hag’s preferred choice.

The arrival of Sesko would mean extra competition and Zirkzee would likely be loaned out, possibly to a Serie A club such as Juventus, rather than sold. A move to the Bianconeri was recently suggested by ex-Premier League star Paolo di Canio.

Sesko, 21, has been hit-and-miss for Leipzig this season, scoring six goals and providing three assists in 10 games. That includes three goals in two Champions League games against big teams like Atletico Madrid and Juventus.

However, despite these numbers, Sesko has, on the whole, not really impressed yet. He was hooked by coach Marco Rose at the weekend after fluffing his lines twice in one-on-one situations and has failed to recapture his red-hot form from the second half of last season.