Manchester United turned down a loan package worth £10 million from Everton to sign striker Joshua Zirkzee on deadline day, according to Sky Sports.
The Dutchman was regularly linked with a move away from the Red Devils. Fiorentina and Juventus were mentioned as possible destinations, but a deal never materialised with either.
Everton made a late approach for Zirkzee amid uncertainty over a deal for Monaco’s Folarin Balogun, but their proposal was immediately turned down by the Red Devils.
Sky Sports report that the Merseyside outfit were prepared to commit £10m for the 25-year-old. This included the loan fee and the Dutchman’s salary at United.
However, United felt the approach came too late and wasn’t good enough to persuade them.
United made the right decision on Zirkzee
The Red Devils had a poor start to the season with a 2-0 loss to newly promoted Hull City, but made amends with a thumping 5-2 win over Ipswich Town last weekend.
Zirkzee was an unused substitute in both of those matches. Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko have led the line for the Mancunian giants so far.
Marcus Rashford is another lucrative option for manager Michael Carrick. Hence, Zirkzee’s desire to move on did not come as a surprise before Tuesday’s 11pm deadline.
Still, United made the right choice to keep him, as the Toffees’ offer was not tempting enough.
Zirkzee, 25, is presently on £105,000 per week. Based on the proposal, Everton offered to cover his remaining salary until June 30 (£4.5m), with a further £5.5m to sign him on loan.
David Moyes’ side did not include any conditional buy clause as part of the deal. Hence, it did not make sense for United to loan him out without time to land a replacement.
United could revisit Zirkzee’s situation during the winter transfer window. If he continues to remain on the sidelines, the club could open the door for a permanent sale for a knockdown fee.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com