Juventus Pursues Zirkzee as Kolo Muani Deal Intensifies
Joshua Zirkzee has given the green light to Juventus – and the Turin club are wasting no time trying to bring him in.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the Manchester United forward has offered initial approval to a summer move, with Juventus now locked in intensive talks with his agent, Kia Joorabchian, over a loan deal. The Bianconeri see the Dutchman as a key piece in a rapidly evolving attack that they hope will look very different by the end of this window.
Because Zirkzee is only half the plan.
At the same time, Juventus are pushing ahead with negotiations for Paris Saint-Germain striker Randal Kolo Muani, with a €40 million deal on the table according to the same report. The club’s hierarchy want both: Zirkzee’s subtlety between the lines and Kolo Muani’s direct speed in behind. Two profiles, one clear objective – to jolt a stagnant frontline back to life.
This pursuit has roots rather than whim. New football director Ricky Massara has admired Zirkzee for some time and tried to take him to Roma in the winter. That move never materialised, but the belief in his talent never faded. Now, with greater financial muscle and a clearer tactical plan, Massara is back for the 23-year-old.
The numbers from his Bologna spell still speak loudly: 12 goals and seven assists in Serie A in 2023-24, a season that pushed him into the European spotlight. His Premier League chapter has been more complicated. Since moving to England, Zirkzee has struggled to secure a regular starting role, registering just 19 starts across 68 league appearances over the last two seasons. The talent is there; the rhythm has not been.
Juventus think they can offer that rhythm.
Luciano Spalletti views Zirkzee as an ideal modern forward for his system: technically gifted, comfortable dropping deep, linking play, and creating space for runners. In theory, pairing that craft with Kolo Muani’s explosive movement would give Juve an attack that can both unpick low blocks and punish teams on the counter.
The urgency is real. An injury to young Italian striker Jeff Ekhator has stripped depth from an already thin frontline, forcing the club to accelerate their plans. According to Gazzetta, while talks continue with Manchester United over a loan structure for Zirkzee, CEO Giovanni Carnevali is simultaneously working to close the Kolo Muani deal with PSG.
The idea is clear: walk into pre-season with a new attacking core, not late-August panic buys.
Spalletti is now waiting for concrete timelines from the board. Every day matters. The coach wants his new forwards on the training pitch as soon as possible, bedding into his demands before the competitive grind begins.
There will be no gentle introduction. Juventus open their Serie A campaign away to newly-promoted Frosinone on August 23, a fixture that looks straightforward on paper but offers no guarantees for a side still searching for fluency.
By then, the question is simple: will Spalletti be walking into that dressing room with the same blunt attack as last season, or with Zirkzee and Kolo Muani ready to reshape the way Juventus play?
