Ashworth to trigger Man Utd transfer earthquake with striker signing ‘advanced’
Joshua Zirkzee could be Dan Ashworth’s first Man Utd signing
Manchester United are close to signing a new striker with negotiations for Bologna star Joshua Zirkzee at an ‘advanced’ stage, according to reports.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his revamped recruitment team want to bring in more competition for Rasmus Hojlund, who scored an impressive 16 goals in his first Old Trafford campaign.
Man Utd officially parted ways with Anthony Martial, who is now a free agent, on Sunday, and he will need replacing even if he was injury-prone throughout his career.
Zirkzee has been top of Ratcliffe’s shortlist for some time and reports suggest that Erik ten Hag is keen to see his fellow Dutchman join the Red Devils this summer.
The 23-year-old was one of the standout performers in Serie A last season and made 16 goal contributions in 34 league matches to help secure Champions League qualification for Bologna.
With Dan Ashworth finally appointed as Man Utd’s new sporting director, transfer business is expected to heat up in the coming days and Zirkzee could be one of the first through the door.
Man Utd ‘step up’ talks for Zirkzee
According to CaughtOffside, Man Utd are ‘stepping up negotiations over Zirkzee’ and talks are at an ‘advanced stage.’
The Dutch international, who is currently away on international duty at Euro 2024 but is yet to play, can be bought for £34m this summer due to a release clause in his contract.
Zirkzee is also ‘attracting interest’ from Arsenal and AC Milan, with the latter ‘believed to be favourites’ for the striker.
However, the fact that Zirkzee’s agent, Kia Joorabchian, is demanding a hefty €15m (£12.6m) bonus for any deal for the player this summer has put his move to Milan at risk of collapse.
There is still ‘no agreement’ between the Italian clubs over a payment to Zirkzee’s representatives and the Red Devils are ready to swoop in for his signature.
They are still locked in negotiations over a deal and it will be interesting to see if they submit a concrete bid in the coming days, as the report suggests.
Ratcliffe eyes centre-back, midfield reinforcements
Striker isn’t the only position Ratcliffe is looking to strengthen though and as reported by TEAMtalk, Man Utd are growing in confidence they’ll sign another Dutchman – Bayern Munich centre-back Matthijs De Ligt.
The Red Devils seem to have cooled their interest on top target Jarrad Branthwaite because Everton are standing firm on their valuation of £70m for the defender.
Now that Man Utd have turned their attention to De Ligt, rivals Manchester City have been tipped to join the race for Branthwaite in what would be a major twist.
A new centre-mid is another priority for Man Utd, as reports suggest that Kobbie Mainoo is the only Man Utd midfielder whose future at Old Trafford is secure.
As per CaughtOffside’s report, ‘another deal to watch’ for Man Utd could be one for Paris-Saint Germain’s Manuel Ugarte.
He struggled to nail down a spot in Luis Enrique’s starting XI last season and is ‘open to a new challenge in the Premier League.’
The report claims the Red Devils are ‘yet to send an official offer for Ugarte’ but that could change ‘as soon as this week.’
PSG signed the 23-year-old for £51m last summer and will likely demand the money they spent on him to sanction a sale this summer.
FULL BREAKDOWN: All the done deals by Premier League clubs in the summer 2024 transfer window