Over the past few months, we have seen Joshua Zirkzee’s price tag go through the roof, as more and more clubs, including Manchester United, take an interest.
The striker has been in good form for Bologna this season, which has caught the attention of many teams, and the Red Devils, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, are one of them.
While the transfer of Rasmus Højlund has finally started to pay off, with him now in good form, there is a feeling Manchester United could do with another striker, which is where Zirkzee comes in.
The Dutchman is a target for AC Milan in Italy, among others, but there is always a fear that Premier League clubs will come in with their money and take him away from Serie A.
That’s because Zirkzee ‘knows that he will play in England sooner or later’, and while the idea would be to do so ‘in a few years time’, things can change quickly.
This is why they must ‘watch out’ for Manchester United, who are said to ‘have made a move’ for the young forward, while Arsenal are also seen as a good fit for him.
What could be a problem for the Red Devils is the price Bologna will ask for their striker, and that is partly the Old Trafford side’s fault.
It’s pointed out that Bologna could try and keep him if they qualify for the Champions League, and while Bayern Munich have a €40m buy-back clause, they aren’t expected to use it.
The Italians can therefore ask for whatever they want, and because Højlund was sold a year ago for €75m + €10m in bonuses, they see the fee Manchester United paid as a ‘reference’.
Their reasoning for this is fairly straightforward, as Zirkzee is around the same age as the Dane, and has ‘comparable numbers’ to what he had at Atalanta when he was bought.
The difference is that Bologna aren’t as rich as the Bergamo side, so it would be very surprising to see them end up getting that much for the Dutchman this summer.
They might use it as a starting point, but it seems unlikely they would die on that hill for someone they only spent €8.5m on in the first place.
Anything above €40m would be huge for them, and that’s why the stance could weaken quite quickly when an attractive offer is put in front of them.
