Arsenal and Manchester United both interested in signing Bologna star Joshua Zirkzee but Bayern clause may scupper deal

According to Football Italia, United, Arsenal, Napoli and AC Milan are keeping tabs on the 22-year-old, however, there is a big hurdle that may put off these teams. The report states the striker has a release clause in his contract that is worth €40 million (£34.1m/$43.3m) but that is only available for his former club Bayern Munich. Moreover, if he is sold to a different team, the German side are reportedly granted a 40% cut of that transfer fee.

As the 6ft 4in forward, who has scored eight goals in 16 games so far for Bologna this season, is understood to be attracting a lot of transfer interest, the Serie A outfit may encourage a bidding war. The report adds that the Rossoblu are 'confident' they can hold out for a fee similar to the one Atalanta received for Rasmus Hojlund when he joined Manchester United last summer for an initial £64m ($82m) with £8m ($10.1m) in add-ons, likely due to their knowledge of the Bayern clause.

Born in the Netherlands to a Dutch father and Nigerian mother, Zirkzee began his career at Bayern before having loan spells at Parma and Anderlecht. He signed for Bologna in 2022 and after a difficult first season is impressing in his second.

Bologna boss Thiago Motta spoke about the youngster's future on Thursday and said: “We will see what the future holds for him. Zirkzee is one of those who always trains hard, inspires the others and can show to the new players what it means to represent Bologna. He has a bright future ahead of him, but the most important thing is that he focuses on our present.”