Manchester United intensify talks for top target Joshua Zirkzee as AC Milan shift focus | OneFootball

Manchester United have intensified talks with major transfer target Joshua Zirkzee in the last week as AC Milan appear to be switching focus to Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku.

The Red Devils are desperately searching for a striker to help Rasmus Hojlund carry the goalscoring burden at Old Trafford next season.

Canadian Jonathan David has been linked to the club but the hottest name right now is certainly that of Dutchman Zirkzee.

Italian news site calciomercato claims that Zirkzee’s agent Kia Joorabchian “in the last week has intensified contacts with Manchester United.”

The website reports that “the English club has not yet spoken to Bologna, but are trying to reach an agreement with the agent. Zirkzee is considered the missing player, the right profile to make the offensive department make a leap in quality. And United understood that finding a meeting point with Kia would put the negotiations on the right track.”

It has previously been reported that United have had more luck dealing with the Dutchman’s agent as they are apparently willing to pay the agent fees that AC Milan seem so reluctant to do.

Calciomercato certainly backs up this side of events as they report that “Kia Joorabchian has made requests considered exorbitant by Ibrahimovic, Furlani and Moncada. 15 million euros is a lot of money, which Milan does not intend to pay.”

Reports this morning in Italy also seem positive for United as they state that Milan are shifting focus from Zirkzee to former United striker, Romelu Lukaku.

La Gazzetto dello Sport report that the Belgian is “one of the main options that the management is working on” and the side from the San Siro “would move away from the €40 million needed for the basic investment for Zirkzee.”

Furthermore, “loaning Lukaku costs much less” than a deal for the 23 year old and even if they cannot convince Chelsea to agree to yet another loan, “even a possible purchase negotiation would weigh less on the Rossoneri coffers.”

The paper also highlights that the Belgian would be attracted to returning to Milan after his spell with Inter and the relationship between Chelsea and Milan is strong after recent deals for Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Were Milan to truly shift focus to Lukaku, it would signify a big advantage for United as it would knock out their biggest competitor for Zirkzee’s signature.

Nonetheless, it was relayed here yesterday that the striker would be happy to stay at Bologna, so United may still need to convince the player that England is in fact his best possible move in the short term future.

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