CalciomercatoJoshua Zirkzee’s future remains uncertain. In every major transfer window since his arrival in the Premier League with Manchester United, the Dutch striker has been on the radar of numerous clubs across Europe, particularly those in Serie A.
But what will his fate be in the upcoming summer transfer window?
His season in Manchester was certainly not a success. In his 20 appearances across the league, FA Cup and Carabao Cup – totalling just 546 minutes on the pitch, with only four of those matches seeing him start in the first XI – he scored two goals and provided one assist.
An overall tally that was unsatisfactory for Zirkzee himself, who is ready to change the course of his professional career and return to where he has demonstrated his full potential.
As reported by Matteo Moretto on Fabrizio Romano’s Italian-language YouTube channel, due to a lack of playing time this season (a total of 28 minutes across his last nine Premier League matches), Zirkzee is set to be a hot topic again during the next transfer window.
The Dutch striker has one clear priority: to return to Italy and play in Serie A again.
Competition for his signature, however, will be fierce, as several Premier League clubs have already made enquiries with the player’s entourage and Manchester United with a view to potentially putting together a deal in the summer. Several Italian sides, in any case, are closely monitoring the situation.
As early as last winter and during January, Zirkzee had been close to returning to Serie A: in fact, he was on the verge of a move to Roma.
Manchester United, however, chose to wait – partly due to the players called up for the Africa Cup of Nations – and not to release the player, preferring to keep him in the squad for the second half of the season. It was therefore decided to continue together, and the Giallorossi – having nevertheless reached a basic agreement with the Dutchman – subsequently turned their attention to other targets such as Malen and Vaz.
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The question that now arises, essentially, is: if it is Italy, where might Zirkzee end up playing?
During the summer transfer window, numerous Serie A clubs could revolutionise their attacking line-up: Inter, Juventus, Milan, Napoli, and Roma themselves.
Chivu’s Nerazzurri could be interested should Marcus Thuram leave, be sold and generate a profit; Spalletti’s Bianconeri have already sounded out the player in the past and will have to deal with the futures of Openda and David; Allegri’s Rossoneri – the team he seemed destined for before Manchester United – will mainly have to resolve issues surrounding Gimenez, Nkunku and Fullkrug; Conte’s Azzurri – with whom he had already been linked in the past – might consider a player of his calibre, who is highly regarded by the Neapolitan manager; finally, Gasperini’s Giallorossi could return to the hunt for him following the failed deal in January.
So, will Italy once again be Joshua Zirkzee’s future? It is highly likely that Manchester United will certainly not feature in his plans.