Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho attracted attention from a number of European clubs over the summer, eventually completing a loan move to Aston Villa.
Manchester United are said to have a potential new buyer for Joshua Zirkzee. The Dutch international has been linked with a move to Sevilla or West Ham United, and now AS Roma have also joined the list.
This is not the first time Roma have been involved in a race to cede an Old Trafford escape to an unfavorable United star. Jadon Sancho was a target for Serie A players over the summer, but only his wage demands were reportedly paid and Sancho eventually joined Aston Villa on loan.
However, according to Sky Sports Switzerland, Zirksee is willing to take a pay cut if he is allowed to move to the Stadio Olimpico. The magazine also lists AC Milan as a potential transfer destination.
Zirksee enjoyed a successful spell at Bologna, helping them qualify for the 2024 Champions League under manager Thiago Motta before moving to Old Trafford. There was controversy over reuniting with Motta at Juventus, who lost his job in Turin in March.
Both Roma and Milan have qualified for Serie A’s Champions League after 10 games, but both should be able to win with a little more firepower. Roma have scored just 10 goals in the league, while Milan striker Santi Jimenez missed the win over Roma at the weekend due to injury.
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Zirkzee has only played 82 minutes in the league this season, with his appearances limited due to the additions of Matheus Cunha, Brian Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesco. Most of that game time came as a first-half substitute for Cunha, who was injured during the win over Burnley in August.
He was not featured in Saturday’s game against Nottingham Forest, even as United chased an equalizer. Defenders Patrick Dorg and Nousair Mazraoui were brought on as Amorim’s only substitutions of the afternoon, with Amad’s volley saving the visitors a late goal.
A move in January appears to represent Zirksee’s best chance of being included in the Netherlands squad for the 2026 World Cup – if Orange can produce the results needed to secure a spot in November. He was part of the Euro 2024 squad and appeared in four UEFA Nations League matches in 2024, but has not featured for the national team since starting against Bosnia and Herzegovina almost a full year ago.
“They want to play,” United manager Amorim told reporters earlier this season about Zirkzee and Napoli target Koby Mainu. “Like you said, there’s a World Cup.
“We have agents who are listening to the players’ conversations all the time, so we understand that, but these are our players and we all need to have a good season.”
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