Manchester United signed Joshua Zirkzee in the summer of 2024 after a breakout season with Bologna, where his performances helped the Italian side to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

The Dutch forward, who was seen as being one of the best up-and-coming forward talents, attracted interest from the top teams in the Serie A, as well as from Manchester United, who signed the then 22-year-old for a fee of £36.5 million.

Signed by Erik ten Hag, it was clear to see that Zirkzee was not an out-and-out striker, but more of a technically skilled forward who thrived in a Bologna side that was built around him. 

While Zirkzee showed promise towards the end of last season, an injury ruled him out for both the end of the season and pre-season, meaning he was always going to be playing catch-up going into this season.

With the club signing Benjamin Šeško in the summer, game time has been severely limited for the Netherlands international, with Bryan Mbeumo being the preferred striker option when the Slovenian has been out injured.

In January, reports indicated that Zirkzee almost left the club in search of more game time ahead of a potential World Cup call-up. Now, it is expected that he will move on in the summer.

After failing to make an impact under either Michael Carrick or Ruben Amorim, a move back to the Serie A could be the most likely destination for Zirkzee, with several clubs reportedly interested.

While much of the focus will be on the midfield rebuild this summer, left wing is also a position that Michael Carrick has identified as needing reinforcement.

 As reported by CaughtOffside, Manchester United are one of the clubs most strongly linked with Milan star, Rafael Leão, and are exploring a player-plus-cash deal, with Joshua Zirkzee one of the players that could be offered to lower the fee.

The outlet reports that Milan could be open to talks from around £43.5 million if a strong enough player is included.

Despite signing a contract renewal in 2023 that includes a £150 million release clause, sources have increasingly suggested that Milan would negotiate far below that figure if the correct proposal arrives.

Manchester United join a long list of clubs interested in signing the 26-year-old, with Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Real Madrid and PSG all being linked with signing the highly rated Portuguese winger.

With all that being said, there should be serious doubts as to whether a deal even makes sense. While he was excellent in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, scoring 26 goals across those two seasons, he has failed to hit double figures in any of the three seasons since.

Manchester United have done a lot of work behind the scenes to raise the morale both in the dressing room and on the pitch, and with Leao often being criticised for his lack of work rate on the pitch, there are serious doubts as to whether he is the correct fit for this Manchester United side or not.