After two underwhelming seasons at Old Trafford, Joshua Zirkzee nears a Serie A return as the Italian giants enter advanced talks with the forgotten United forward.
Manchester United's recent transfer strategy has been successful for the most part, with players like Matheus Cunha, Senne Lammens and Bryan Mbuemo all having a relatively positive debut campaign at Old Trafford.
INEOS has said they are targeting a mix of players with proven Premier League experience, whilst also bringing in some players with huge potential, that can develop into long-term careers at the club.
It is a strategy that most fans at the club support and have been impressed by how effective it has been at finding hidden gems like Lammens. However, it is not a foolproof method, and, as with anything in football, mistakes can happen.
This is certainly the case for the £36.5 million signing the Red Devils made in the summer of 2024, who has been forgotten by fans due to their lacklustre performances and inability to make an impact when given their chance in the starting eleven.
Joshua Zirkzee has been heavily linked with a move away from Manchester since January of this year, after he failed to make the cut for an extremely poor Ruben Amorim squad. It seemed inevitable from that point that it would be Zirkzee's last season at the club, after two underwhelming campaigns.
According to The Sun, Italian giants Juventus are in advanced talks for the Dutchman, who would be open to a return to Serie A after playing some of the best football of his career in the division.
The Old Lady has offloaded Dusan Vlahovic and will seemingly do the same to Lois Openda, meaning bringing in a new striker option is essential for them before the start if the upcoming campaign.
Zirkzee wasn't Juve's first-choice, after they failed to reach an agreement to bring Randal Kolo Muani back to the club from Paris Saint-Germain, but have had the United man on their radar since his time at Bologna.
Manchester United have named their price for the 25-year-old at £30 milion, and will accept a loan-to-buy option for the forward.
It is not outrageous to say that United's signing of Joshua Zirkzee has been a disappointment for both player and club. The foward's move to Manchester brought along a lot of hype, and fans were excited to see the versatile forward give another dynamic to the attack.
However, since Michael Carrick's arrival in January, the Netherlands international became an option off the bench, having struggled for minutes in the squad all year.
It was clear that Zirkzee was not part of the new boss' plans going forward, and will be hoping to pick-up more playing time to reinvent his career in Italy if the move comes to fruition.
Fans will be happy to see the back of the Dutchman, whilst United can use the funds generated by the move to bolster Carrick's squad with a player that suits his style and is ready for the challenging season ahead.