Juventus make NEW checks into shock Man Utd transfer after Carrick intervenes – Sources | OneFootball

Juventus have carried out fresh checks on a Manchester United attacker in the hopes the Red Devils will soften their stance on a late-window exit, we can confirm.

Juventus are determined to add firepower in the final days of the window, and their search has taken them to the Premier League.

Randal Kolo Muani (Tottenham) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace) were on their radar. Personal terms were even agreed with Mateta before Juve baulked at Palace’s £40m asking price.

Now, sources have informed us Juventus have carried out a fresh check on Joshua Zirkzee through intermediaries, in case Man Utd warn to a shock departure in the window’s final days.

The Serie A giants have been making enquiries throughout January and ramped up their interest recently, as we revealed on January 18.

Since then, Juve have continued to explore alternative options in the market, including ongoing discussions around breaking Tottenham’s loan with Kolo Muani as recently as yesterday (Thursday).

Despite that, Zirkzee remains very much admired in Turin. The forward has been hampered by a fitness issue and is yet to feature under Michael Carrick, who is understood to have advised him to focus on seeing out the remainder of the season at Old Trafford.

Whether Zirkzee listens to United’s interim boss remains to be seen. He retains genuine ambitions of earning a place in the Netherlands squad for the 2026 World Cup, but must play regularly and to a high standard in the coming months to do so.

Zirkzee’s lack of opportunities across the campaign so far have slashed his chances of featuring in the showpiece tournament.

What’s more, Man Utd only have 15 matches remaining this term, meaning the need to rest and rotate those who are ahead of Zirkzee in the pecking order isn’t there for Carrick.

Zirkzee’s situation has not gone unnoticed in Turin and both Juve and Roma both retain an interest and could yet be tempted into a late opportunistic approach before the deadline. The English window closes on Monday, February 2, at 7pm UK time.

If tempting offers do arrive, Man Utd will be faced with a dilemma – do they refuse to play ball and retain a player who barely plays, or do they seal a deal and weaken their overall squad depth in the hopes it won’t really matter given there’s so few games remaining.

Man Utd had shown interest in signing Rennes’ frontman, Mohamed Kader Meïte, but he is now off the table after agreeing to join Al-Hilal for €30m.