What Joshua Zirkzee has said about his future as Manchester United 'explore' £33.7m transfer

Joshua Zirkzee could become Manchester United's first signing of the summer transfer window.

Alongside Arsenal, mild interest from Old Trafford has emerged over the last few months; however, that has seemingly become concrete with the latest update in mind. According to The Athletic, United are exploring a deal to sign Zirkzee from Bologna, and talks have already been held with his camp.

Contact between the two clubs is yet to be made, but United are considering an approach and are also aware of the €40million (£33.7million) buyout clause in his contract. The 23-year-old is fresh off a strong season in Serie A, with his 16 goal contributions from 34 games helping Bologna finish fifth, which saw them earn a Champions League spot.

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Zirkzee only joined the Italian club last summer after leaving Bayern Munich with just 17 senior appearances to his name over three years at Allianz Arena. Despite talks having already begun, United could face a significant wait in their push to sign Zirkzee, with the forward currently at Euro 2024 with the Netherlands.

A plethora of injuries in the Dutch camp saw him called up to Ronald Koeman's squad at the very last moment, replacing Teun Koopmeiners. Zirkzee had already begun his holiday when he got the call, and therefore his recent update when asked about what could happen over the coming months is somewhat inaccurate.

Despite that, he dropped a subtle hint over his future as he refused to rule out a potential exit. Speaking to Sky Sports, the young attacker said: "After the holidays we'll see what will happen. As far as I know so far I will play the Champions League with Bologna but I can't say anything.

"There's a lot going on, in the meantime we're thinking about finishing the season well and then we'll come back after the holidays and see what happens."

However, comments from when he first signed for Bologna certainly indicate he has plans to stay at the club for some time. "The road is long and you have to work hard every day," he admitted to La Gazzetta dello Sport back in November.

" If you ask me what I prefer between making Bologna great or going to play for a big club soon, I tell you that the right choice is making Bologna great. Then we’ll see you.”