Joshua Zirkzee gives green light to Juventus move as Manchester United exit nears

Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee has declared his interest in joining Serie A side Juventus this summer as the Italian club seems eager to reinforce their attacking options.

Juventus, who are managed by Luciano Spalletti and finished sixth in the Italian top flight last season, regard Zirkzee as an ideal option to freshen their attack for the upcoming season alongside Randal Kolo Muani.

Zirkzee, 25, struggled to find consistency last season, having fought for a starting spot alongside Benjamin Sesko, who was favoured by former player and current manager Michael Carrick at United, with the Slovenia international playing 1,637 minutes in the Premier League in contrast to Zirkzee, who managed only 609 minutes.

The Dutchman, who has scored nine goals in 75 appearances for United, was on the brink of a return to Italy in January, where he was set to join AS Roma only two years after leaving Bologna.

But the deal fell through despite Frederic Massara, Roma’s head of football at the time, spending hours on the phone with United’s fluctuating forward. Massara joined Juventus from Roma at the start of this month and has retained his interest in Zirkzee.

The sacking of Ruben Amorim was the key culprit as to why Zirkzee’s poised move to Roma broke down, but now that the situation in Manchester is much more stable, there is increasing hope on both sides that an agreement can be made.

So much so that, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Serie A side have already received confirmation from Zirkzee that he is fully committed to moving from Old Trafford to Turin. It is unknown whether or not talks have been held first-hand, or through an intermediary.

Previous reports have claimed United would be prepared to let Zirkzee leave for around £30 million, or on a loan deal with an option or obligation to buy. The forward was part of the team that lost 1-0 to Wrexham in their first game of pre-season, but struggled for minutes under Carrick last season and will likely be in the same boat for the upcoming campaign.

Following Amorim’s dismissal, which came after a meeting with club executives, Zirkzee made only one appearance under Carrick when he was interim boss. At the same time, the former United midfielder preferred the likes of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha even when Sesko wasn’t an option.

The lowest of lows for Zirkzee at United came in December two years ago when, against Newcastle United, the home supporters at Old Trafford booed and jeered the striker after being subbed off only 32 minutes into the game. Zirkzee appeared to walk down the tunnel instantly before emerging just a couple of minutes later.

“He’s doing a great job. But also a very important thing was the way the fans reacted after that incident,” Amorim said after the game. “Even if Josh is not playing, if you see every time he gets on the pitch or is just warming up, our fans sing the Josh song. That is massive for the boy. So it’s 50 per cent the fans and 50 per cent on the part of Josh.”

Zirkzee’s standout moment as a United player thus far was his debut against Fulham in August 2024, when he scored an 87th-minute winner to seal an opening-day victory under Erik ten Hag that was about as unconvincing as it was exciting for the Netherlands international.

In November last year, Zirkzee led United to a 2-1 comeback victory against Crystal Palace in the Premier League when he latched onto an assist from Bruno Fernandes, scoring his first goal in 364 days at the time.