Manchester United and their scouts will be keenly watching Euros and Copa America as not only are their players involved, but their transfer targets are also representing their respective countries.
Manuel Ugarte has been a revelation for Uruguay in Copa America and while Joshua Zirkzee hasn’t played much, his introduction off the bench in the quarterfinal against Turkey was transformative.
Along with former United man Wout Weghorst, he engineered a Netherlands comeback to book themselves a semifinal date against England.
After the game, Zirkzee was asked about his future amid continued links to United as well as AC Milan. The player’s response wasn’t one to quieten down the rumour mill…
Zirkzee breaks silence on transfer rumours
The forward talked to journalists in the mixed zone after the victory and was asked whether he will remain in Italy next season, a clever question since Milan are in the running too.
Zirkzee refused to commit his future to Serie A, leaving the door open for speculation, saying: “I don’t know, let’s see”.
When pressed by the journalist to expand upon it, he repeated the same but with a coy smile this time, clearly happy to entertain discussion on his future. Below is the video in full:
Of course, it is pretty common practice for players to bat away questions regarding their future, especially during an international tournament. However, instead of saying he didn’t want to talk about it and was focused on his Euros campaign, Zirkzee chose to leave the door open for future conversations.
Zirkzee leaving is an open secret
It is an open secret that Zirkzee’s release clause of £34 million, which expires in August, makes it a matter of when, and not if, he leaves Bologna. Even the club president seems resigned to the fact that they will lose their star striker.
AC Milan were thought to be favourites for his signature but disagreements over the agent commission left the window open for United to swoop in. Since then, it has been reported that they have entered advanced discussions on personal terms and are now favourites over Milan.
United have moved quickly and confidently on this and it looks like they will manage to get their man. It would be a huge coup due to the player’s age profile, playing style, and tactical fit.
Zirkzee clearly is happy to keep the door open!
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
