Manchester United have been warned that making a move for Joshua Zirkzee would be a major error.
Zirkzee starred for Bologna as they claimed a surprise fifth place finish in Serie A last season. The striker scored 12 goals and notched seven assists in all competitions, drawing the attention of a host of top teams.
One of those potential suitors is United, who are on the search for a new striker in this summer's transfer window. They bought Rasmus Hojlund from Bologna's Italian rivals Atalanta last summer, though the Dane endured a mixed debut season.
The Red Devils have identified the need for competition for Hojlund as a priority for this window. But former Netherlands international Bryan Roy has warned that such a move would be a mistake.
He told TuttoJuve: “Zirkzee, unlike Koopmeiners, is not yet ready for the big jump. He is still young, he needs another year at Bologna where he can score a lot. It would be important to test himself in the same team but with a different coach. Then he will think about what to do.”
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United have also been linked with Bayern Munich star Mattijs De Ligt as they look to beef up their defence. But Roy believes that the Netherlands man will also not be arriving at Old Trafford.
He added: “I read that Manchester United want him, but I don’t think he will leave. He’s much stronger than the defenders at Bayern today, I’ve seen him in the last few games and he didn’t look in bad shape. Return to Juve? No, he’s already been there. If he leaves, I see him in England or Spain.”
The Zirkzee pursuit is the second one that United have been told would be a fool's errand. The Red Devils have also been heavily linked with Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Would Manchester United be making a mistake by signing Joshua Zirkzee? Comment below.
Joshua Zirkzee has risen up United's shopping list (Getty Images)United are thought to have submitted a £35m bid for the England defender, though that is expected to be rejected out of hand by Everton. The Toffees are demanding at least £70m in exchange for the former Manchester City star.
But United have been warned paying such a fee would be "insanity" by market-leading Dutch data company SciSports. They used their Estimated Transfer Value algorithm to rate Branthwaite at just £22m.
Their verdict says: “Value has increased significantly in the last 12 months (he was valued at 5.3m Euro/£4.5m as recently as October 2023), as he has stepped up in level from playing in the Eredivisie to regular Premier League football.
“He also signed a long-term contract in October 2023 which factors into his ETV. But based on the body of work so far (less than 50 Premier League appearances), talk of Everton wanting £80m is insanity. Absolutely it seems like that Man Utd tax/young English player tax, is in play again.”
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