West Ham transfer target Joshua Zirkzee will push to leave Manchester United at the end of the season, according to reports.
The Sun claim that the Dutchman is “eyeing a summer exit”, having started just four games in all competitions this campaign.
Zirkzee is behind the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Amad, Benjamin Sesko and Mason Mount in the pecking order.
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Previous head coach Ruben Amorim was said to be open to offloading the 24-year-old during the January transfer window, but the Portuguese’s departure from Old Trafford led to Zirkzee’s exit being blocked by the club’s hierarchy.
West Ham showed interest in the player last year
Writing in his GiveMeSport newsletter column at the beginning of November, journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed that the Hammers had been in touch with Man United about Zirkzee’s availability:
“They asked for Zirkzee, but there is no green light from Manchester United at this stage. There are more options on the table from the UK and from abroad. West Ham will take some weeks before deciding [on a new striker].”
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side ultimately ended up signing two other forwards – Lazio’s Taty Castellanos and Gil Vicente’s Pablo Felipe.
Will the club revive their pursuit of Zirkzee?
Despite the Netherlands international seemingly being available for transfer, West Ham will have other priorities when the summer transfer window opens.
Firstly, the club will need to secure their top-flight status before deciding on their budget. Sales may also be required to balance the books.
Even then, recruiting a centre-back (if Axel Disasi doesn’t stay) and adding a new midfielder would surely take precedence over another striker. Zirkzee is believed to have interest from Italy, where he used to play for Bologna, so a return to Serie A looks to be the most likely possibility at the moment.
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