It is indeed “here we go” time! According to multiple sources Manchester United have will make Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee their first signing of the summer. The Dutchman, whose national team was just eliminated from the Euros by England last night, will become the very first addition of the Sir Jim Ratcliffe/INEOS era.
United will pay in the neighborhood of £34 million/ €40m for the center forward, but it won’t be via the release clause in his contract.
?? EXCLUSIVE: Joshua Zirkzee to Manchester United, here we go!
Man United will NOT trigger the clause but pay slightly above €40m with better payment terms, in three years.
Zirkzee signs until June 2029 with option for further season.
First signing of INEOS new era. ?? pic.twitter.com/clTwvvgTC8
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 11, 2024
As you can see from the embedded tweet above, worldwide transfer guru Fabrizio Romano just “called it.” All in all, it will be a €42.5m fee paid over three years instead of just the one €40m lump sum. So consider it similar to “buying something on layaway.”
Zirkzee will sign a five-year contract (with a club option for a sixth), and with the financials now agreed upon, all that’s left is the medical evaluation (which will take place tomorrow) and the paperwork. TalkSPORT report that personal terms have been agreed.
Both manager Erik ten Hag and new assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy were crucial in recruiting the 23-year-old Dutch forward to make the switch to Old Trafford.
Joshua Zirkzee chose United over AC Milan. We’ve been covering this transfer saga in detail, all along the way, and you can read about that here, here and here. After Joshua Zirkzee, the next signing should likely be Bayern Munich central defender and fellow Netherlands international Matthijs de Ligt.
More on that here. Of course, there is a possibility that the next signing might actually be Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain instead. Watch this space and we’ll see.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.