It surely seems only a matter of time before Joshua Zirkzee is signed by Manchester United Football Club.
The 23-year-old Dutch international is being heavily linked with United amid reports that the Red Devils are now frontrunners for his signature.
That means many United fans with a simple question – how much will he cost?
United have had a history of paying over the odds for players. The likes of Antony, Jadon Sancho, Romelu Lukaku, Angel Di Maria and Harry Maguire are all players that fans can agree cost too much as the club overspent based on the players’ subsequent performances.
While the days of Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill long gone, there is optimism that INEOS are going to run a much tighter ship. And Zirkzee’s transfer could be the start of a new approach to the transfer market.
Thanks to a report from the Manchester Evening News, we now know what the potential costs will be.
The paper reports that the total figure required to acquire the player will be around £46m.
£46m is made up of a £33m (€40m) release clause as well as agent commission of around £13m.
According to previous reports, the agent fees were one of the main reasons that the likes of AC Milan pulled out of the deal.
It seems that the figure is a lot more palatable to the United hierarchy – who spent around £72m last summer on the signing of striker Rasmus Hojlund.
If Zirkzee’s transfer does come off, he’ll be the second striker brought into the club over successive seasons from Serie A.
Zirkzee has scored 14 goals across 58 appearances for Bologna in Italy. The attacker is currently on international duty at UEFA Euros 2024, where he has been on the bench for all four games that his country has played.
