Primary Manchester United striker target Joshua Zirkzee has ended all talks with his current club, Bologna, while Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reportedly learned of a new price tag for the player.
Bologna had a brilliant 2023-24 campaign, thriving under Thiago Motta and ultimately finishing fifth in Serie A, which was enough to qualify them for next season’s Champions League. But several key components of that success might not be there to help them in the Champions League next term.
Motta has already left to take charge of Juventus, while top stars including Zirkzee, Dan Ndoye and Riccardo Calafiori have been tipped to follow him out of the exit door.
Zirkzee and Ndoye are both on Man Utd’s radar, while Arsenal are getting closer to signing Calafiori – though TEAMtalk revealed on Thursday that Chelsea are hoping to scupper that deal.
Bologna technical director Giovanni Sartori has admitted there is a 99.9 per cent chance of Zirkzee leaving this summer due to the £34million release clause in his contract.
In another welcome boost for Ratcliffe and Man Utd, fresh reports in Italy state that the Dutchman has ‘cut off communications’ with Bologna officials due to two reasons.
Zirkzee is currently on international duty with the Netherlands at Euro 2024, and he is focused on the tournament. Plus, once the 23-year-old returns, he intends to leave Bologna for a major club, with Man Utd in the driving seat to complete a deal.
Sources confirmed to TEAMtalk on Wednesday that Man Utd are ‘very confident’ of winning the race for Zirkzee, despite the fact he has also been linked with Arsenal and AC Milan.
Man Utd transfers: Joshua Zirkzee to cost £46m
As per the MEN, Man Utd will actually have to pay a total package of £46m to take Zirkzee to Old Trafford. That is because of agent fees and all other transactions involved in the move.
As mentioned previously, Man Utd are also pursuing Zirkzee’s Bologna team-mate Ndoye, who mainly plays on the right wing but has impressed at centre-forward for Switzerland during Euro 2024.
The Swiss press has claimed that Ratcliffe has launched an opening offer for Ndoye, though Man Utd are yet to strike an agreement for his signing.
There is the potential for Man Utd to complete a top-quality triple deal worth £105m, as Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt is edging closer to joining the club, too.
Man Utd are in talks to reunite the centre-back with his former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag, although not all of their former players are convinced on the transfer.