Manchester United are leading the race to sign Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee during the January transfer window, according to Calciomercato.it.
The Red Devils have been regularly linked with the Dutchman over the past few days and it was recently claimed that he has a €40 million release clause in his contract.
Calciomercato.it now reveal that United are ‘above all’ in the pursuit of the talented centre-forward but they won’t have the option of activating the buy-out clause.
Bologna sporting director Marco Di Vaio recently said that only Bayern Munich can trigger the clause and other clubs would need to negotiate with Bologna for the striker.
Di Vaio also highlighted that Bologna won’t listen to offers for their top players this winter.
Man Utd unlikely to land Zirkzee next month
Zirkzee has had a fine second season with Bologna. He has registered eight goals and four assists from 19 appearances. Eight of those goal contributions have come since October.
He has contributed to Bologna’s impressive fourth position in the table and it seems quite clear that they won’t contemplate selling him when the transfer window reopens in January.
Bayern could trigger the clause to prise him away at the turn of the year, but United may not have any chance of signing the Dutchman unless they offer more than €40m.
With Financial Fair Play in mind, it is unlikely that the Red Devils will splash the cash on him.
In our view, they should focus on landing Serhou Guirassy from Stuttgart. The Guinean has been in the form of his life this season with 19 goals from just 16 games in all competitions.
He has a release clause of just €17.5m in his deal. It seems a no-brainer to land his signature in January. The 27-year-old would improve the club’s chances of a top-four league finish.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
