Joshua Zirkzee to Juventus transfer gains pace as Manchester United open to sale
Joshua Zirkzee to Juventus: Some transfers just feel inevitable from the moment they first hit the headlines. Joshua Zirkzee’s proposed move from Old Trafford to Turin is rapidly turning into one of them. What started as casual gossip in the Italian press has suddenly hardened into concrete transfer business. According to reports in Gazzetta dello Sport, the Manchester United forward has handed an initial green light to Juventus ahead of a potential summer switch back to Serie A.
It comes after a deeply frustrating campaign for the Dutchman. He reported back for pre-season duty in Carrington last weekend, but everyone involved knows the writing has been on the wall for months. He barely featured under Michael Carrick in the second half of last season. Now, new Juventus head of football Ricky Massara wants the 25-year-old to form the centrepiece of a fresh attacking line-up in Turin. Massara is also trying to tie up a permanent deal for Randal Kolo Muani following the Frenchman’s impressive loan stint at the Allianz Stadium during the second half of the 2024-25 season.
Cold numbers make painful reading
Look at the statistics, and you quickly realise why United are willing to cut their losses. Nine goals. That is the total return Zirkzee has managed across 75 appearances in all competitions since arriving from Bologna for £36.5 million two summers ago. Last season was particularly grim.
He managed just 19 Premier League starts in 2025-26. His total output across 608 league minutes amounted to two goals and a single assist. His underlying numbers were equally damning, registering an average FotMob match rating of 6.5 alongside a meagre expected goals tally of 2.80.
Carrick simply did not fancy him. The United boss consistently picked Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha ahead of him in broad daylight. Even Benjamin Sesko moved ahead of the former Bologna man when rotated into the side. One start. That is all Zirkzee was handed by Carrick throughout the entire campaign. You cannot build a career at a massive club on those scraps.
How Ricky Massara revived the mid-season collapse
This is not a sudden whim from the Italian side. Massara spent hours on the phone with Zirkzee’s camp during the January transfer window. The player had actually agreed to the move in principle back then. Then came the chaotic firing of Ruben Amorim.
When United sacked Amorim mid-campaign, the board put a complete freeze on all mid-season transfer business. The deal collapsed on the spot. Massara has now picked up the phone again, this time operating with renewed authority from the Juventus boardroom.
United want somewhere between €35 million and €40 million to let the striker go. They would also consider a structured loan deal, provided it includes an obligatory purchase clause at the end of the spell. The money matters a lot right now. Having already shelled out massive fees for Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, United are actively hunting a third central midfielder to rebuild their core. Selling Zirkzee is direct fuel for that target.
Ruud Gullit called it months ago
Dutch legend Ruud Gullit saw all of this coming. Speaking back in January, the former European Footballer of the Year publicly stated that Zirkzee had made a massive error swapping Serie A for the Premier League. Gullit argued the forward should have stayed in Italy to develop at a top Serie A side rather than diving into the blender at Old Trafford. Hard to argue with that logic now. The Italian style of play clearly suited his technical skill set far better than the frantic pace of English football.
The verdict on a failed experiment
The Zirkzee experiment in England ran out of steam a long time ago. Nobody doubts his baseline ability. The velvety first touch, the clever link-up play, the sharp movement in tight pockets between the lines- it is all there. But strikers live and die by raw numbers. If you do not put the ball in the net, high-level football will leave you behind every single time.
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Massara believes Serie A holds the key to unlocking that potential again. Zirkzee clearly agrees. A fee in the region of €35-40 million represents decent business for a squad player who does not fit the manager’s plans, and United desperately need those funds to fix their midfield before the window closes.