Manchester United dealt £12m blow in pursuit of ‘special’ forward with release clause

Manchester United have been dealt a £12 million blow as they consider a deal for a ‘special’ forward this summer.

The Reds are looking to improve their squad in the coming months after INEOS‘ decision to keep Erik ten Hag at the club.

There are several priority signings that have been identified, including a centre-back and a striker.

Rasmus Højlund is currently the only recognised centre-forward at Old Trafford following Anthony Martial’s contract expiring, and the club need to add support for the Danish striker.

Several players, including Brentford’s Ivan Toney, have been linked with a move, but United must also consider the prices as they are walking a financial tightrope this summer.

Joshua Zirkzee is another player who could make the move after attracting plenty of interest from around Europe after leading Bologna into the Champions League for next season.

Arsenal and AC Milan have also been strongly linked to the 22-year-old, who has a £33.8 million release clause in his contract. He has been described as a ‘special’ player by his manager Thiago Motta.

While that number would seem very attractive to United, it has been claimed by Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport that Zirkzee’s agent, Kia Joorabchian, is demanding £12.6 million in agent fees to facilitate any deal.

That would increase a potential deal for the striker to almost £50 million, which almost eliminates the most attractive aspect of a deal for United.

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