Manchester United have confirmed that Joshua Zirkzee has signed from Serie A club Bologna, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s first signing since his partial acquisition at Old Trafford.
Joshua Zirkzee, 23, has signed a five-year contract rumoured to be worth around £ 96,000 a week and has become the first name through the door at Manchester United during the 2024 summer transfer window.
Although Zirkzee’s Bologna contract included a £34 million release clause, United struck an agreement with the Serie A side to pay around £36 million and spread the payments over a series of instalments rather than fork out the entire release clause fee at once.
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This will allow United to commit further funds elsewhere, such as the pending signing of Bayern Munich centre-back Matthijs de Ligt. The club is keen to upgrade Erik ten Hag’s squad by all means.
On Sunday afternoon, Manchester United released an official statement confirming that Zirkzee had completed his move to United following the Netherlands’ exit from the 2024 European Championships.
“Manchester United is pleased to confirm that Joshua Zirkzee has joined the club, subject to registration.
“The Dutch forward has signed a contract until June 2029, with the option to extend for a further year.
“Zirkzee, the 2023/24 Serie A Under-23 Player of the Year, was Bologna FC’s top goalscorer last season, helping his team qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
“The 23-year-old Netherlands international earlier won six trophies during his time with Bayern Munich.”
Zirkzee will join his new United teammates after his three-week holiday. It is currently unclear if he will fly for United’s South Carolina section of their USA tour. If not, he will be ready in time to play against Manchester City in the Community Shield on Saturday, 10 August.
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