Manchester United are on course to sign Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna after reports from Italy indicate that AC Milan have lost control of the transfer of the Netherlands international star.
Corriere dello Sport reports that the Rossoneri are no longer in the driving seat for Zirkzee, while Di Marzio has revealed that the San Siro club have listed former Man Utd player Memphis Depay as a possible alternative to the 23-year-old.
All this, of course, is excellent news former the Red Devils, who have been acting quickly to perform a hijack of the transfer, which was in Milan’s hands until a matter of hours ago.
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The Serie A giants had personal terms agreed with Zirkzee but they hit a brick wall with agent Kia Joorabchian over commission payments. The representative of the former Bayern Munich man is said to have wanted as much as €15m for brokering the deal.
It appears that these demands have crippled the prospect of a transfer, with Milan having been willing to trigger Zirkzee’s €40m release clause.
Now the club are studying cheaper alternatives, with Eremedin Demirovic of Augsburg and free agent Memphis Depay leading the shortlist.
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What this means for Man Utd
Man Utd find themselves in pole position to secure a deal, with Milan having taken a back seat.
Fabrizio Romano outlined the position of the Red Devils in this deal on Wednesday.
“Manchester United have made an inquiry to Zirkzee to understand how the deal will work. How much is the clause? €40m. When is the clause valid? July. How is the situation between Milan and the player? Still open,” he said.
“He’s not the only option, but they’re considering him. He’s in consideration but still not an advanced negotiation.”
The situation could move quickly from here, though.
Man Utd have what appears to be a free run at Zirkzee, and even if no deal is particularly close with the Bologna striker, there is little doubt they are now favourites to land him.
