Joshua Zirkzee move to Fiorentina collapses

Manchester United’s business in the final two days of the transfer window is shaping up around two very specific areas.

Left-back remains a priority for Michael Carrick, and striker is the other, though any incoming move hinges entirely on United first finding a taker for Joshua Zirkzee.

The Dutchman has managed just five goals in 56 Premier League appearances since his £36.5million move from Bologna in the summer of 2024, numbers that fall well short of what United hoped for when Erik ten Hag pushed hard to bring him in.

He arrived with a reputation for clever movement and link-up play, the kind of false-nine profile ten Hag had long admired, but he never quite found a settled role once Ruben Amorim’s system took over midway through his first season.

The signings of Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and Bryan Mbeumo over the past year have only pushed him further down the pecking order under Carrick.

There have been flashes of what first attracted United to him, not least a moment of individual brilliance during pre-season against Rosenborg in Norway, a mazy solo run and finish that briefly had supporters wondering what might have been.

Moments like that have proven the exception rather than the rule, and the Dutchman is now understood to be ready to leave in order to finally play regular football.

Joshua Zirkee move to Fiorentina collapses

According to Fabrizio Romano, via X, Joshua Zirkzee has turned down a move to Fiorentina after the Serie A club sent United a proposal worth a €5million loan fee plus a €30million buy option.

Fiorentina wasted little time lining up an alternative, quickly agreeing a permanent deal for Everton’s Beto instead.

Juventus have since approached United about Zirkzee, contacting the club on Sunday night.

The Italian side’s interest is understood to be contingent on Jonathan David leaving Turin before the window shuts.

United remain willing to cash in on Zirkzee, and any fee recouped would go toward bringing in an experienced alternative, ideally with Premier League experience, to provide senior cover for Cunha and Sesko.

Carrick is understood to view that kind of signing as lower risk than gambling on another unproven forward at this late stage of the window.

Zirkzee’s importance to any incoming deal cannot be overstated, with United reluctant to add further to the front line until his future is settled one way or another.