Juventus explore Joshua Zirkzee swap deal

Joshua Zirkzee has experienced a difficult time at Manchester United.

The Dutchman signed for the Red Devils in 2024, as part of a £36.5 million deal.

Across 75 appearances, the 25-year-old has scored just nine goals and struggled to make an impact at the club under Erik ten Hag, Ruben Amorim and Michael Carrick, respectively.

This summer could mark an early parting of ways for Joshua Zirkzee and the Red Devils.

Italian club Juventus are one outfit credited with serious interest, having reportedly already bid for the tall centre-forward.

The Red Devils could kill two birds with one stone, and bring winger Francisco Conceicao in the other way in a rare swap transfer.

According to Italian outlet TGcom24, Juventus are exploring this possibility, so that they can bring in Zirkzee on a free, and then sell Conceicao to United for a reduced fee of €30 million.

With The Old Lady valuing their exciting 23-year-old winger ‘between €50 and €60 million’, Zirkzee could write off half the required transfer fee.

It’s an exciting possibility for Manchester United, and a deal could see them offload an unwanted player while bringing one of their targets in on the cheap.

Conceicao delivered with 8 goal involvements in Serie A last season, in his second following signing from FC Porto on a permanent basis.

While a swap for Zirkzee plus a reduced fee for Conceicao could be a brilliant outcome for Manchester United, this kind of deal will be tricky to naivgate; more stars need to align than usual with two players needing to agree on terms.

For Joshua Zirkzee, a return to Serie A, where he spent two years shining with Bologna, could be the perfect outcome to get back to his best.

Francisco Conceicao would also be a smart signing for Manchester United, a player with great pace and technical ability to his game.