From £100m hype to unwanted: Brighton to become victims of striker domino involving Man Utd | OneFootball

AS Roma are reportedly keen to send Evan Ferguson back to Brighton and sign Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee as his replacement.

It’s not going well in Rome for the young Irishman, who has only registered one goal and one assist since joining on loan from Brighton.

Ferguson and Zirkzee in potential transfer domino

Reports suggest Roma are hoping to end Ferguson’s loan spell prematurely, though there is no clause allowing them to do so unilaterally. However, they can negotiate a termination, and if they do, Roma will likely push to sign Zirkzee from Man United.

Two reports from our friends at TEAMtalk claim Ferguson has been offered to multiple clubs ahead of the winter transfer window, while Roma are in ‘pole position’ to land Zirkzee.

The first report says Everton, Leicester City and Celtic are among the clubs in contention for Ferguson’s signature, which is a far cry from the teams linked with a £100million move only two years ago.

Everton have ‘made checks’ despite spending £27m on Thierno Barry last summer.

Adding ‘another layer of intrigue’, Roma and Everton are under the same ownership, which could smooth out negotiations in January.

Roma would be even more eager to send Ferguson back to Brighton if they can agree a deal with Man United for Zirkzee.

TEAMtalk also reports ongoing negotiations between Ruben Amorim’s side and the Italian giants, with United ‘open to offers’ of €35-40m (£30.6-35m) or a loan with a mandatory purchase clause.

The Giallorossi face competition from four Premier League clubs, Aston Villa, West Ham, Brighton and Everton, while Serie A rivals Juventus, Inter and AC Milan are also credited with interest.

Zirkzee good enough to start over Sesko for Man Utd

Competition is fierce and includes some top clubs, despite Zirkzee largely underwhelming since joining United from Bologna in the 2024 summer transfer window.

The Dutch international cost the Red Devils around £35m and has scored just eight goals and provided three assists in 58 matches.

He has only started three games this season, all in United’s last four Premier League matches, but has made a positive impact during that run.

Zirkzee knows he must be playing regularly to stand a chance of making Ronald Koeman’s squad for next summer’s World Cup. And when Benjamin Sesko returns from injury, there’s a chance Amorim starts overlooking him again.

It’s hard to argue that Zirkzee should give up on succeeding at Old Trafford given the lack of depth in attack, and a Sky Sports report says he wants to stay and fight for his place.

Sesko hasn’t done enough to convince Zirkzee that he won’t play once the Slovenian is back fit, but managers can show bias towards players they sign, which applies to Sesko, not Zirkzee.

Ferguson: From £100m striker to unwanted

As for Ferguson, it’s not clear what the future holds or whether he’ll ever come close to realising the potential he once seemed destined for.

Not long ago, there was talk of him commanding a £100m fee and Brighton cashing in yet again on a player they bought for peanuts.

But not anymore. There’s a strong chance he ends up at Leicester, who sit 13th in the Championship. And if he flops there, it’s hard to see a future for him in the Premier League, let alone at one of Europe’s elite clubs.

It’s an unfortunate position for Brighton to be in. They never expected Ferguson’s Roma loan to go so poorly, and now they may be forced into a last-chance-saloon loan. They could become the victims of a striker domino.