Club director dismisses rumours surrounding Manchester United target with agreement ‘close’

Bologna technical director Giovanni Sartori has denied the latest rumours surrounding Manchester United striker target Joshua Zirkzee.

Joshua Zirkzee is seemingly at the top of Manchester United‘s striker wishlist this summer, with the Netherlands international’s £34 million release clause not an issue for United.

However, reports from last week claimed that Bologna were becoming confident that Zirkzee could stay at the club for another season.

Read More: Manchester United ‘set’ Marcus Rashford price tag as agent holds talks about his future

“There is no point in hiding that Bologna is hopeful again, as Joshua has made it clear he wishes to stay and aims to play in the Champions League with his teammates,” the report stated.

It was also added at the time that his father was advocating for Zirkzee to stay, believing that it was crucial he remained there for developmental reasons.

In a new twist, Bologna technical director Giovanni Sartori has denied these rumours, explaining that he feels Zirkzee will “99 per cent” leave the Serie A club this summer.

“Joshua Zirkzee has a release clause into his contract, and I believe he’s 99 per cent going to leave the club,” Sartori told the press on Monday.

Zirkzee’s release clause became active on Monday and will remain active until mid-August, meaning United will have six weeks to activate it.

A big stumbling block will be the agent fees, with his representative Kia Joorabchian said to be demanding as much as £12 million—although other reports have stated he is willing to give United a discount to help a deal go through.

With United willing to pay the release clause and Joorabchian willing to lower his agent commission, it seems as if a deal is close. However, it is likely that Zirkzee will not make a final decision until after the 2024 European Championships is concluded.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Thursday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.