MANCHESTER UNITED SIGN FORWARD JOSHUA ZIRKZEE FROM BOLOGNA FOR €42.5 MILLION
Manchester United have completed the signing of forward Joshua Zirkzee from Serie A side Bologna, the team announced recently.
The deal is worth €42.5 million (£35.73 million) which is about €2.5 million (£2.1 million) more than Zirkzee’s original release clause of €40 million (£33.63 million), which United were expected to meet in their acquisition of the Dutch forward. The club has instead opted to pay more to include a lengthened payment period rather than paying the whole figure up front. United will now pay the €42.5 million total in installments over a three-year period, set to end by summer of 2027.
Per European transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, Bayern Munich, who included a sell-on clause in Zirkzee’s transfer to Bologna in 2022, will also receive 50% of the transfer fee. The German giants are thus set to receive €21.25 million following Bologna’s agreement with Manchester United.
Zirkzee signed a five year deal that will keep him in Manchester until June 30th, 2029, with United having an option to extend him for a further year. The 23-year-old is fresh off a lengthy EUROs campaign with the Netherlands, having helped Oranje reach the semifinals of the competition before they were knocked out in a 2-1 defeat by England on Wednesday last week.
“Securing a forward to enhance our already strong group of attacking players was a key aim for this summer,” said Manchester United’s new sporting director, Dan Ashworth. “We are delighted that we’ve managed to sign a player Joshua’s caliber this early in the transfer window. Joshua is an outstanding talent who is ready to make an impact for Manchester United. His ability and desire to grow into a world-class player means that he will be a great addition to the squad that we are building for the exciting season ahead and beyond.”
“Having already achieved a significant amount in his career, we will provide Joshua with the perfect platform to reach the next level under the guidance and support of Erik ten Hag and the coaching staff. We look forward to seeing Joshua thrive at Old Trafford over the coming years.”
Zirkzee landed in Manchester on Friday where he had his medicals and his first face to face meeting with head coach Erik ten Hag after having multiple conversations on the phone. The Schiedam-born forward then had media day on Saturday before his official announcement on Sunday afternoon.
“Having had discussions with the manager and the leaders of the club,” said Zirkzee. “I know how exciting the future is going to be here, and I cannot wait to play my part in achieving success for Manchester United. I am a player who has always dedicated everything to winning. I’m ready for this next challenge, to go to another level in my career and win more trophies.”
“It’s a privilege to join such an iconic club. I have to take a short break now after being with the national team, but I’ll be coming back ready to make an impact straight away.”
United are headed to Trondheim, Norway for their first preseason game against Norwegian side Rosenborg BK and will be without Zirkzee who should feature for the Red Devils at some point before the conclusion of preseason this summer. The Dutchman now joins fellow countrymen Rene Hake and Ruud van Nistelrooy who were appointed as part of Erik ten Hag’s staff last week as part of a coaching reshuffle at the club.
United will also be without forward Jadon Sancho for their game against Rosenborg on Monday. Sancho was granted a return to first-team training by head coach Erik ten Hag on Friday after his return from loan away at UEFA Champions League runners up Borussia Dortmund.
Zirkzee is the club’s first major signing of the INEOS era as United look to strengthen their squad ahead of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.
United are also pursuing Dutch international and Bayern Munich center back Matthijs De Ligt, Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarté and Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite. The club also submitted their £50 million bid for 18-year-old center back Leny Yoro accepted by Lille OSC earlier this week and are currently conducting personal discussions with the France Under-17 international.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Sven Mandel. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.