Juventus are ready to make a ‘decisive move’ for Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee, but the formula of their proposal may be an issue.
Corriere dello Sport report that the Italian side are ready to move decisively for the 25-year-old, who is not a part of the plans at Manchester United.
Zirkzee signing wanted
The newspaper reports that the prospect of Juventus signing Joshua Zirkzee this summer is becoming increasingly real in Turin.
He is a player that director of football Frederic Massara knows well, having reached a full agreement with the player’s entourage over a move to Roma. That fell through because United refused to budge on the finances.
Now a move has been approved by Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti. Indeed, Zirkzee has is highly rated by the Italian coach. He gave immediate approval for the negotiations. He values his playing style and versatility.
Another factor working in their favour is the Dutchman’s own desire. He is very intrigued by the idea of return to Italy, having already been close to Juventus and Roma in the last year.
Loan with an option to buy
Juventus would now like a loan with an option to buy. There has also been some thought to including Francisco Conceição in the deal, but he wants to stay at Juve this season.
Whether Manchester United would sanction a loan deal is unclear, though. They have been resistant to such an agreement in recent transfer windows. They would surely prefer to recoup as much of their €42.5m outlay in 2024. Zirkzee is currently valued at €20m by the likes of Transfermarkt.
The obvious answer may be a loan with an obligation to buy rather than an option. But that would take more difficult negotiations. Italian sides are usually very resistant to such deals if they can avoid them.
There is a desire there, though, from Juventus and Zirkzee. The latter in particular could help in negotiations with Manchester United.
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