Ten Hag now wants Man Utd to sign 'powerful' £34m star, transfer is 'certain' - report
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag wants to bring Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee to the club in the coming days, according to Corriere di Bologna (page 10).
The 23-year-old has been constantly linked with the Red Devils over the past few weeks and it is now reported that Ten Hag is pushing to land his Dutch compatriot.
The club have already reached an agreement with his agent over the commission and it is almost certain that the striker will make the switch to Old Trafford this summer.
Bologna are awaiting the final decision from the former Bayern Munich man. If he were to move, the club plan to recruit Fotis Ioannidis from Panathinaikos as his replacement.
Zirkzee would be a good competitor to Rasmus Hojlund
Hojlund joined the Red Devils from Atalanta last summer and had a solid debut campaign with 16 goals. He had a couple of good goalscoring phases for United.
The Dane has yet to become a prolific goalscorer and Ten Hag may ideally want another young marksman, who can provide good competition for places.
Zirkzee appears the ideal fit for the manager with his all-round attributes from the striker’s role.
The Dutchman netted 12 goals and provided seven assists last term. He was also impressive with his link-up play, creating 11 big chances over the Serie A campaign.
The Bayern graduate also caught the eye with his quick dribbling and pace on the counter-attack. He was willing to drop into a deeper attacking role when required.
Zirkzee currently has a release clause worth £34 million which United are prepared to pay. A transfer could be straightforward for the ‘powerful‘ star if he decides to leave Bologna.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com