- Zirkzee will sign a five-year contract with United
- Zirkzee joined Bayern Munich’s youth system from Feyenoord in 2017 and made 17 first-team appearances
Joshua Zirkzee will have a Manchester United medical on Friday ahead of his proposed transfer from Bologna.
Zirkzee will fly to the United Kingdom on Thursday evening for his medical after the Netherlands were eliminated from the European Championship by England 2-1 on Wednesday.
United will not trigger the €40 million (£34 million) release clause in Zirkzee’s contract, instead paying €42.5 million and staggering payments to Bologna over three years. If United had triggered the clause, they would have had to pay the full amount.
Zirkzee will sign a five-year contract with United, The Athletic reported on Tuesday. That agreement will include an option for an additional 12 months.
United had prioritised the arrival of a forward this summer after Anthony Martial left the club upon the expiration of his contract, which had left Rasmus Hojlund as the only recognised central striker in Erik ten Hag’s squad. United view Zirkzee as having a complementary skillset to Hojlund and being capable of strengthening their range of possibilities up front.
Zirkzee joined Bayern Munich’s youth system from Feyenoord in 2017 and made 17 first-team appearances for the German club, scoring four goals.
The forward had loan spells at Parma and Anderlecht — scoring 18 goals at the Belgian club in the 2021-22 season, earning him a permanent transfer to Bologna at the end of that campaign.
The Dutchman finished the 2023-24 season as Bologna’s top scorer, netting 11 goals and providing five assists as he played a key role in helping the Italian club to secure a berth in the Champions League group stage for the first time since 1963-64.