Manchester United will trigger Joshua Zirkzee's release clause at Bologna but they're also set to pay a multi-million fee to his agent, Kia Joorabchian, who has history at Old Trafford

Manchester United will pay Kia Joorabchian £8.45million for brokering a deal for Bologna's Joshua Zirkzee.

The Dutchman is set to become the club's first major signing of the summer after the Red Devils told the Serie A outfit that they would pay his £33.8m release clause. Zirkzee has enjoyed a breakthrough year in Italy and United themselves are looking to add more firepower.

What had been holding up the deal was the fee being paid for Zirkzee's agent Joorabchian, who has previously managed the likes of Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano, Philippe Coutinho and a number of players at Arsenal. The agent will now be handsomely rewarded, according to The Athletic, for helping secure an imminent move to Old Trafford.

Originally he wanted £10m, but that fee was driven down slightly. Zirkzee is currently away at Euro 2024 with the Netherlands, who will face England in the last four on Wednesday but an announcement on a move to Manchester could come within days after personal terms were agreed.

Dan Ashworth, who finally became United's sporting director after a stand-off between the Red Devils and Newcastle, has wasted no time in improving the playing group in Manchester as he looks to make an immediate impact.

Zirkzee began his senior career with Bayern Munich but, after several loan spells away, he was allowed to make a permanent move to Italy. He scored 12 goals last season and Bologna are resigned to losing the Dutchman with several clubs in Europe eyeing him.

A move to Manchester will benefit his agent, who previously clashed with Gary Neville during lockdown as the pair squared off over Tevez and his time at Old Trafford.

In a lengthy debate on Sky Sports Neville took on the agent regarding Tevez being owned by a third party and claimed he had people in his ear towards the latter stages of his time at Old Trafford. Neville also suggested that the Argentine "became disinterested, distracted."

Joorabchian took aim at Neville's injury record that year and responded by saying: "Gary could not have known too much about year one because he played 10 minutes and was mostly on the treatment table."

The agent continued with that idea when he told Neville :"You can't be speaking from experience." He also defended Tevez's decision to move to Manchester City after United chose not to trigger a clause in his deal that would've kept him at the club.