Manchester United are resisting any loan offers for one of their star forwards as they want to have the money to spend now.
The future of many players has been left up in the air as the club gears up for a potentially busy winter transfer window.
INEOS are looking to use the sales to continue their overhaul of the squad that began in the summer.
With Manchester United playing only one game a week and being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Grimsby Town, Ruben Amorim has largely fielded the same team every week, barring injury to certain players. The lack of extra games means a lack of opportunity for much of the team to get run outs.
Recently, midfield pair Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte have both been linked with moves away, as it appears both are out of favour with Amorim. On top of that, Joshua Zirkzee continues to be linked with a move away to Serie A.
United want cash now for Zirkzee
Links between Zirkzee and Roma have been ever-present this season, with some Italian outlets even going as far as saying the Dutchman himself has said yes to a move.
Until the Everton game, where he eventually started due to injuries to Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha, the forward had only played 90 minutes across all the previous games. While he has started every game since Everton and has scored once, he has not been a standout player as he would hope.
According to Corriere Dello Sport, Roma are still engaged in negotiations for the forward as they hope to reach an agreement with United. However, the Red Devils remain steadfast in their stance of wanting cash now so they can reinvest straight away.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been adamant about not giving freebies to other clubs, hence the requirement for cash now rather than waiting six months to receive. Whereas, Roma want a straight loan with an option to buy regarding their final league standing.
The Serie A side has also reportedly begun looking at alternatives like Yuri Alberto should a deal for Zirkzee not get over the line.
Smart from United
United have notoriously been a bad selling club. Whether it has been selling players for a low-cost fee, loaning players with poor options to buy or just not being able to get players out of the club full stop, the club have always struggled.
However, this new tactic of not bending to the demands of buying clubs is smart for INEOS.
United need forwards regardless of depth, as well as midfielders. They cannot afford to just let Zirkzee go on loan and then have to buy another forward with almost no extra money. Selling the Dutchman would give them that option.
Also, it means that should Roma not accept the demands of United, they still have a key squad player during the most demanding part of the season.
With AFCON set to commence soon, both Amad and Bryan Mbeumo will be leaving for the tournament. Having Zirkzee around without the stress of having to buy another forward on top of the one they need to buy allows the recruitment team to focus on getting the right profile. As well as spreading the funds to buy a midfielder.
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