Football
Exclusive: Joshua Zirkzee Set to Exit Man Utd as Juventus Circle and Crystal Palace Plot Surprise Move
Manchester United’s resurgence could lead to Joshua Zirkzee's exit, with Crystal Palace eyeing him. Zirkzee's lackluster performances have led to interest from Juventus and Spurs. Meanwhile, Palace faces potential relegation threat after Jean-Philippe Mateta indicated his desire to leave for Nottingham Forest.
Manchester United v Brighton & Hove Albion - Emirates FA Cup Third Round by Richard Sellers/Allstar | Getty Images
Manchester United’s upturn in form is set to finally spell the end for Danish striker Joshua Zirkzee, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
Unwanted at Old Trafford, Zirkzee’s reputation has been tarnished by his underwhelming performances with the Red Devils.
Yet Serie A giants Juventus are among the favourites for the one-time Bologna forward who moved to England in 2024 for an eye watering £36 million.
Spurs too are alive to the striker’s situation with United while West Ham and Roma previously expressed interest. Now, another club may offer him an escape route.
FA Cup holders Crystal Palace stand to lose French international Jean-Philippe Mateta to Nottingham Forest.
The 12-goal Eagles’ talisman has told the Selhurst Park club of his desire to leave. That is a major blow for Palace still fighting for success in the Europa Conference League.
More importantly, Oliver Glasner’s side faces the previously unthinkable prospect of a fight against relegation.
They have collected only three points from a possible 24 and have dropped to 15th in the Premier League.
Zirkzee’s hopes of a move to Roma collapsed after Ruben Amorim’s sacking, leaving the former Bayern striker still searching for regular game time
WORRYING FREEFALL
And while they are eight points above the bottom three, if the freefall continues without Mateta, Palace could be sucked into a scrap against relegation.
Zirkzee, still only 24, hasn’t featured in a league game for United since the 2-2 draw at Burnley on January 7.
His last appearance was as a second half substitute in the FA Cup home defeat to Brighton. Since then, United have shocked the top flight with wins over Manchester City and Arsenal.
Zirkzee has netted only twice this season but he did score United’s equaliser in their 2-1 victory at Selhurst Park last December.
United won’t recoup anywhere close to the cash they stumped up 18 months ago. But they are expecting around £20 million for a player who started his career at Bayern Munich.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.