Juventus are in negotiations with Manchester United to sign Joshua Zirkzee on loan with an option to buy for €35 million, though the two camps present starkly different pictures of how close a deal actually is.
Football Italia reports that Sun Sport are claiming the talks have reached an advanced stage, while Sky Sport Italia offers a considerably cooler assessment – describing the process as difficult and complex, and explicitly not close to completion.
The need is not in dispute. The Bianconeri head into the window without Dusan Vlahovic, whose exit has left a glaring vacancy at centre-forward, and Lois Openda’s move to Olympique Lyonnais has closed off another avenue. Zirkzee has been on Juventus’ radar since before he left Bologna for Old Trafford in the summer of 2024 for €42.5 million, which gives the current loan-with-option structure its particular financial sensitivity for United.
At Manchester United, the Dutchman has managed nine goals and four assists across 75 competitive appearances – modest numbers relative to what his fee demanded – and has never established himself as a regular starter under any of the managers who have tried to fit him into the side.
Even if United and Juventus can agree a loan framework, the player’s wages represent a separate obstacle for a club operating without Champions League revenue. Randal Kolo Muani remains the priority target, and the source is explicit: if Kolo Muani arrives from Paris Saint-Germain, there will not be sufficient budget to accommodate both forwards.
That hierarchy means the Zirkzee negotiations exist in a holding pattern – pushed forward enough to keep the option live, but dependent on how the Kolo Muani situation resolves before Juventus commit to the €35m path.
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