Joshua Zirkzee could be on his way back to Italy for only £22m | OneFootball

Manchester United are planning to revamp several areas of the squad as they prepare for their return to the Champions League after a two-year hiatus.

INEOS need to be ruthless when it comes to player sales in order to fund such a massive operation, and several United stars’ heads are on the block.

One of them is Joshua Zirkzee, who has failed to hit his stride at Old Trafford since his £36.5 million move from Bologna back in 2024.

While the Dutchman has impressed with his clever link-up play and creative ability, he was signed as a backup for Rasmus Hojlund.

Joshua Zirkzee has struggled at United

Ultimately, the 25-year-old has failed in that regard, managing a meagre nine goals in two seasons, including only two this term.

While the former Bayern Munich starlet would love to stay and prove his detractors wrong, INEOS are keen to get rid and are hoping to recoup the same amount they paid for his services two summers ago.

The United No.11’s agent has offered his client’s services to both AS Roma and Juventus, and the Red Devils would have hoped for a bidding war to ensue to extract the best possible price from his sale.

However, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Giallorossi are prepared to pay only £22 million for the versatile United attacker.

Roma’s lowball offer for Joshua Zirkzee

Roma have been long-term admirers, and they are well aware of United’s need to remove deadwood from their squad, hence the lowball offer.

“Long pursued and back in fashion. The love story between Roma and Joshua Zirkzee never materialized, but it’s also true that it never really ended.

“In the sense that after having pursued him for a long time last January, the Manchester United Dutch striker could be back in the Giallorossi’s sights now. In fact, he’s back, because in recent discussions with Ryan Friedkin, Gian Piero Gasperini reiterated his desire to land the Dutch striker.

“His contract with United expires in 2029, and he could be signed for €20-25 million, especially considering his lacklustre season (2 goals in 25 games, playing 629 minutes and averaging 25.16 minutes per game). In short, some love stories never end. Sometimes they take huge turns, but then they come back.”

United will hope to avoid taking a hit

The Serie A giants plan to use Zirkzee as the left-sided attacking midfielder, a position United currently do not have in their new system.

It will be interesting to see how INEOS react should the offer land at their doorsteps. It is imperative they sell Joshua Zirkzee in order to bring in an experienced backup for Benjamin Sesko.

Feature image Molly Darlington via Getty Images

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