Joshua Zirkzee on the Verge of Joining Fiorentina
Joshua Zirkzee is edging towards the Old Trafford exit, and Fiorentina are moving fast.
The Manchester United striker has reached an agreement on personal terms with the Serie A club, according to Italian journalist Damiano Er Faina, leaving only a deal between the clubs to be thrashed out before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.
Carrick’s message lands
The turning point felt brutal but clear.
Since Michael Carrick took charge in January, the 25-year-old has slipped to the margins of United’s attack. Any lingering doubt over his status vanished on the opening day of the Premier League season, when Carrick left him on the bench against Hull City despite chasing goals that never arrived.
That omission hit home. Zirkzee now accepts he is no longer part of United’s plans and is ready to move on rather than endure another season watching from the sidelines.
Italy calls again
Serie A has been circling for some time.
Zirkzee’s work at Bologna left a strong impression across Italy, and for years he has been linked with a return. Juventus and Napoli had been viewed as the likeliest landing spots, but the landscape has shifted. Fiorentina have surged to the front of the queue.
The Viola are close to offloading Moise Kean to Como, a move that would clear space in Fabio Grosso’s squad for a new forward. Sporting director Fabio Paratici, back in Italy after his spell at Tottenham, has identified Zirkzee as the ideal addition and has now secured the player’s approval on personal terms.
The structure and fee of any transfer remain under wraps, but the direction of travel is obvious. Fiorentina want him. Zirkzee wants Fiorentina. United just need to name their price.
United’s dilemma up front
That leaves a pressing question at Old Trafford: who comes in if Zirkzee goes?
Time is short. The market is thin. And United are not planning to pour a major fee into a striker who will sit behind Benjamin Sesko in the pecking order.
Jean-Philippe Mateta has emerged as one possibility. The 29-year-old Crystal Palace forward fits the profile of an experienced option, but Palace are still demanding a significant fee despite his contract running down. For a backup role, that could prove a sticking point.
Alexander Sorloth, 30, looks a more realistic target. At Atletico Madrid he has slipped to the fringes, even though his name still carries weight after productive spells elsewhere. That status could make him attainable in the final days of the window.
For now, the pieces are moving quickly. Zirkzee is poised to restart his career in Florence, Fiorentina are clearing the decks to bring him in, and United are scrambling to find a striker who can live with life as Sesko’s understudy.
With the deadline looming, the next call from Old Trafford’s recruitment team will say a lot about how seriously they treat that role.
