Manchester United are unlikely to let Joshua Zirkzee leave in January until his injury troubles subside or until key players return from the African Cup of Nations. Roma are keen to sign a forward next month as manager Gian Piero Gasperini looks to strengthen his attacking line-up. Contrary to reports from Italy in the past 24 hours, it appears that the deal is not as far along as suggested.
However, the Serie A giants are hoping to sign Zirksee on loan or permanently during the transfer window. Despite this interest, United are reluctant to lose any attacking players at a time when their squad is stretched thin, according to the Manchester Evening News. This comes after Zirkzee came on as a substitute for 17 minutes against Aston Villa on Sunday.
United suffered a calf injury in training on Saturday when Koby Mainu injured their side, while Bruno Fernandes was forced to hobble off at half-time at Villa Park. Both players will miss the Boxing Day game against Newcastle.
While there is optimism that Mainu will be fit to face Wolves, Ruben Amorim expects Fernandes to miss a few games.
This was a setback, especially as Amadou and Brian Mbeumo were away at AFCON on international duty in Ivory Coast and Cameroon respectively. This leaves Amorim with only Zirkzee, Mason Mount, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesco as their only real attacking options.
The availability of Amadou and Mbeumo will depend on how far their respective countries progress in AFCON. Meanwhile, Amorim is expected to provide an update on Fernandes’ fitness at his Christmas Eve press conference ahead of the game against Newcastle.
United are looking to add attacking reinforcements in January and have set their sights on Antoine Semenyo.
The Bournemouth forward has a £65m release clause in his contract, but United will have to fend off competition from Manchester City and Liverpool to sign him.
This clause is only valid during the early weeks of the transfer window, so any deal would need to be concluded quickly. If United are successful in signing Semenho, it could pave the way for Zirkzee to move to Roma.
Zirksee, 24, has found it difficult to make his mark at Old Trafford since joining from Bologna in July 2024. He has scored just eight goals and provided three assists in 60 appearances for the club, making just 17 league starts.
