Manchester United Reaches Agreement To Sign Joshua Zirkzee From Bologna

According to reports from Italy, Manchester United is prepared to activate Joshua Zirkzee’s €40 million (£33.7m) release clause, notifying Bologna of their intentions.

Following the decision to retain Erik Ten Hag as manager, United is focusing on securing a new striker and at least one center-back before the upcoming Premier League season.

Having scored 11 goals in Serie A last season, Zirkzee emerged as a top contender on United’s shortlist. However, the Premier League club has faced competition from AC Milan in their pursuit to secure the 23-year-old’s signature.

AC Milan had initially reached a deal with Zirkzee, but their progress was impeded when they declined to pay an extra €15 million (£12.6m) in commission to the player’s representative, Kia Joorabchian.

This delay paved the way for United to swoop in, and Zirkzee has since reached an agreement on personal terms with the Premier League club following direct discussions with Erik ten Hag.

United was deliberating between paying Zirkzee’s full €40m (£33.7m) release clause or negotiating an alternate agreement with Bologna, considering their financial constraints.

However, according to Sky Sports Italy, United has chosen to activate Zirkzee’s clause and has officially informed Bologna of their choice.

United have also agreed to pay an additional €15m (£12.6m) in commission fees which held up the deal with AC Milan last month.

Zlatan Ibrahimović confirms AC Milan are NO longer in talks for Joshua Zirkzee: “Zirkzee? It’s the past for us”.

“We already have the new striker in mind but I’m not gonna tell you the name”.

Bayern Munich stands to gain significantly from Zirkzee’s transfer to United, given that they incorporated a 45 percent sell-on clause when the Dutch striker moved from the Bundesliga club to Bologna for £7m (€8.5m) in August 2022.

Zirkzee is currently training with the Netherlands squad in anticipation of their Euro 2024 semi-final face-off against England on Wednesday evening. The striker, who was a last-minute inclusion in the Dutch team in June, earned his first senior cap during the 2-1 victory over Turkey in the Euro 2024 quarter-final on Saturday night.

When asked about his future after the game, Zirkzee raised doubt over whether he will remain in Italy for another year.

Asked if he will still be playing in Italy next season, Zirkzee told Sportitalia: ‘I don’t know, let’s see.’

Asked if it’s a 50 percent chance that he would stay, Zirkzee replied: ‘Let’s see.’