Having not featured much so far this season, one Manchester United star could leave the club this January, with Brighton showing interest in signing him.
Manchester United strengthened Rúben Amorim’s squad over the summer with several key first-team additions.
The club’s primary objective in the transfer window was clear: to address last season’s goalscoring struggles. After scoring only 44 goals in the previous Premier League campaign, United spent £214 million to completely overhaul their attacking options.
Benjamin Šeško, Bryan Mbeumo, and Matheus Cunha joined to lead the new front line, while Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Højlund, Antony, and Jadon Sancho all left Old Trafford.
One forward who did remain was Joshua Zirkzee. The Dutchman showed promise during the latter stages of last season before an injury interrupted his progress, and he will now aim to play a key role under Amorim.
Brighton working on a January move for Zirkzee
The Netherlands international, who has been described as ‘fantastic’, scored just seven goals last season and has only been able to pick up 78 minutes so far this campaign, partially owing to injury.
As reported by transfer expert Graeme Bailey via SussexWorld, the 24-year-old is looking to leave United and has reportedly already had talks with the staff at Brighton.
The Dutch forward is looking to make a move to secure minutes to boost his chances of making the Netherlands squad ahead of the World Cup next summer.
Zirkzee would reportedly be available for between £30-35 million in January and would undoubtedly be a regular starter for Brighton, especially with two strikers leaving the club during the summer: Joao Pedro to Chelsea and Evan Ferguson to Roma on loan.
United should push for a loan deal
While it has been evident by the start of this season that Zirkzee may not get the minutes that he wants, if United do sanction a move for the Dutch striker, it should be a loan deal rather than a permanent deal.
If new signing Šeško were to unfortunately pick up a serious injury in the second half of the season, United’s lack of back-up strikers would mean that Chido Obi would be the only natural striker available, and he’s not ready yet.
One great trait that the Dutch forward offers is his versatility across the front line. Despite initially being signed as an out-and-out striker, his performances took an upturn last season when he played slightly deeper as a No.10.
If Zirkzee were to join Brighton on loan in January and perform at his best, he may well play himself into a position where he’s battling for the minutes that he feels he should be owed at the moment next season when United are competing across more competitions.
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