Manchester United are moving closer to signing Joshua Zirkzee after Bologna’s technical director gave them a very encouraging update on the centre-forward.

While Man Utd have yet to announce any new signings so far this summer, club chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe has completed one major objective by landing Dan Ashworth. The sporting director had been on gardening leave since February after signalling his desire to leave Newcastle United and join INEOS’ exciting project at Old Trafford.

Newcastle tried to keep Man Utd at bay by demanding huge sums of money for Ashworth, but the two clubs reached an agreement on Monday and the 53-year-old has now been cleared to work under Ratcliffe.

Ashworth will play a key role in bolstering Erik ten Hag’s squad with new signings and getting rid of unwanted players.

The FA and Brighton mastermind could start his tenure with a transformative double deal. Reports claim Ashworth and Man Utd are advancing as they look to sign Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich, and he could be followed to Old Trafford by Dutch compatriot Zirkzee.

It recently emerged that Man Utd are stepping up their hunt for Zirkzee and are in ‘advanced talks’ with Bologna over a potential deal.

The Red Devils have now been boosted by comments from Bologna technical director Giovanni Sartori. At an event in Italy, Sartori was asked about the future of the centre-forward, who managed 12 goals and seven assists in 37 games last term.

Sartori replied: “Joshua has a clause, which means he will leave 99.9 per cent of the time.”

Man Utd transfers: Joshua Zirkzee deal edging closer

The clause Sartori is referring to is the €40million (£34m) release clause in Zirkzee’s contract. Man Utd have been quoted huge fees when sounding out other strikers – some as high as £80-100m – but Zirkzee represents fantastic value for money.

While he is not yet a devastating goalscorer, at 23 years of age he still has plenty of time to reach his massive potential and become one of the most feared strikers in Europe.

Zirkzee’s all-round play is fantastic and has even resulted in comparisons with Harry Kane, another player Man Utd tried to land in the past.

Man Utd fans will be very excited to see how Zirkzee performs at the club after emerging into one of Bologna’s most important players in recent seasons.

Although, Man Utd have been tipped to sign a striker with far more experience than current No 9 Rasmus Hojlund, so it will be interesting to see how the young duo of Zirkzee and Hojlund get on under Ten Hag next season.