Man Utd ‘can’t lose’ as €35m deal explodes after Amorim puts his foot down – top source | OneFootball

Manchester United are in a win-win situation regarding Joshua Zirkzee, sources have told TEAMtalk, as AS Roma press ahead to sign the Netherlands international forward that Red Devils manager Ruben Amorim does not fancy.

Zirkzee has been struggling for playing time so far this season, with Man Utd boss Amorim using him on just four occasions in the Premier League, and that too as a substitute. The 24-year-old Dutchman has played only 82 minutes in the Premier League for the Red Devils in the 2025/26 campaign, with a further substitute appearance coming in the Carabao Cup.

AS Roma are in talks with Man Utd over a loan for Zirkzee in the January transfer window, with Italian publication  La Gazzetta dello Sport reporting that it will cost the Serie A outfit at least €35million (£31m, $40.5m) next summer as part of any deal that will include an option or obligation to buy.

Roma rate Zirkzee highly from his time at Bologna before he made the switch to Man Utd in 2024, with I Giallorossi hoping ‘to relocate the player to a position he likes and get the best out of him’.

The Serie A outfit are willing to pay half of Zirkzee’s €3.5m-a-season salary (£3m, $4m) plus bonuses until the end of the season as part of the loan deal.

Although the financial ‘discussions are yet to be finalised’, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Roma have a ‘genuine interest’ in Zirkzee.

Man Utd willing to let Zirkzee leave – Sources

Sources have told TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Dean Jones, that Man Utd manager Ruben Amorim himself is willing to let Zirkzee leave.

TEAMtalk understands that ‘Amorim just does not have a plan to use him (Zirkzee) regularly’ because ‘he doesn’t really know what position to play him in’ in his 3-4-2-1 formation.

With Benjamin Sesko now set for an extended spell on the sidelines, Zirkzee will get chances, but it is very likely that Amorim will deploy Matheus Cunha as the lone striker.

While analysing Zirkzee’s situation, Jones has noted that Man Utd are in a win-win position.

If the forward does well in the coming weeks, then his value will go up, and if he does not, then Man Utd will just continue to look for avenues to offload him on favourable terms.

Jones told TEAMtalk: “Man Utd are expecting Sesko’s injury to keep him out a few weeks, but they will be cautious with this, and it would not surprise me if they did not play him again until after Christmas.

“It means he is likely to overlap a bit with some of the time Mbeumo and Diallo are missing at AFCON.

“It’s strange that an opportunity is coming so late for Zirkzee before the January window, and at a time when Roma are showing genuine interest.

“But at least he is getting this chance to put himself on stage at Old Trafford and to go out fighting with his reputation intact.

“He has not done a lot wrong; he just does not fit into the side. But technically, he is a good player, and if he did well in this period, it would be interesting to see the fallout.

“The truth is, Man Utd can’t lose. If he doesn’t do well, then they will continue to consider where he can end up next that best benefits them.

“If he does do well, then it might just hold his value up a bit more in the market.

“Either way, it is going to take some huge performances for them to actually decide he has a long-term future at the club.

“Let’s see how he does if given the chance against Everton at the weekend because he is expecting a decent run out.”

Meanwhile, sources have told TEAMtalk whether Man Utd will be able to convince Crystal Palace to sell Adam Wharton in the January transfer window.