Manchester United have been touted to offload several players this winter transfer window, with several top European clubs looking to poach unwanted players.
Rúben Amorim remains insistent on continuing his rebuild at Manchester United, and a key part of a successful rebuild is offloading players who are not included in the long-term project.
Though Christopher Vivell and the rest of the recruitment team have done an excellent job in their acquisitions so far, the player sales side has remained underwhelming.
Antony left the club for a loss this summer and has since regained their form at their respective new clubs. Whereas Rasmus Hojlund was loaned to Napoli, and United also looks set to make a loss on the former Atlanta forward.
The only positive outcome of these transfers was the increased budget for re-investment.
The Reds face a similar scenario with a forward struggling to get minutes under Amorim, and may be forced to sell at a loss to a Premier League rival.
Zirkzee in demand
Former Bologna and Bayern Munich striker Joshua Zirkzee has caught the attention of some of Europe’s top sides as he seeks consistent playing time.
Football Italia has reported that Italian giants Roma and David Moyes’ Everton have both entered the race for Zirkzee; however, both sides are under the same ownership, The Friedan Group. This creates an awkward ‘dilemma’.
The Italian side has the upper hand at the moment, having already sent their proposal to United, enquiring about a potential loan deal with a clause of a permanent transfer if Roma qualify for Champions League football, a similar deal to Hojlund’s Napoli transfer.
Gian Piero Gasperini, known for getting the best out of strikers, has given the Roma board the green light, as Zirkzee has valuable and impressive Serie A experience at Bologna.
The potential permanent sale is reported to be in the region of £26 million, as Roma currently sit fourth in the Serie A table. Zirkzee’s addition to the attack may help the Giallorossi succeed in their attempts to secure Champions League football.
Pressure remains from Everton, though, who are in desperate need of a quality attacker. The Toffees have the second-lowest goal tally in the Premier League, scoring 18 goals in 18 games, and are faced with underwhelming attacking options, Beto and Thierno Barry, who both have only one goal this season.
Everton fans will know Zirkzee well, as he scored a brace in a 4-0 trashing of Everton at Old Trafford, one of Amorim’s first games, and one of Zirkzee’s best.
Gasperini could turn Zirkzee into top striker
Similar to Everton, Roma lack sufficient attacking options. Artem Dobvyk remains injury-prone, and Evan Ferguson is yet to fire on all cylinders, as both have only scored twice this season.
That said, Zirkzee has operated as a false-nine or ‘9.5’ as he famously said when joining United, and may be played as such for Roma, who set up in a 3-4-2-1, similar to Amorim’s preferred system.
Gasperini lacks sufficient depth in this department. Leon Bailey, who has struggled for minutes in Italy, is out injured. Thomas Baldzani is another who struggles for game time, and Stephen El Shaaraway’s contract runs out at the end of the season, leaving the Italian manager without quality depth.
Gasperini is notorious for getting the most out of attackers, having worked with some of the world’s best, Diego Milito at Inter Milan, and both Hojlund and Ademola Lookman for Atalanta, to name a few.
Zirkzee’s interest should be piqued by the potential move, especially as the Dutch forward needs playing time to retain his place as the Netherlands’ no.9 for their World Cup campaign.
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