Milik leaves Juventus even more desperate for Zirkzee deal with Manchester United | OneFootball

As Arkadiusz Milik has suffered a new setback in his recovery from injury, multiple outlets in Italy are reporting that Juventus are now more keen than ever to get a deal done with Manchester United for former Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee.

Milik has suffered a new issue with his calf, which is expected to delay his return from injury. The Poland international has not featured at all in the 2024-25 season so far, which has left Dusan Vlahovic as the only established senior centre-forward in the squad.

Zirkzee has been a target for the Bianconeri for several months already. The Dutchman enjoyed the most productive season of his career under current Juventus coach Thiago Motta at Bologna last term.

Zirkzee has struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League following his €42m move to Old Trafford in the summer, and was recently booed off the pitch after just 33 minutes of an eventual 2-0 Premier League loss to Sandro Tonali’s Newcastle United.

Joshua Zirkzee of Manchester United heads towards the changing room after been substituted after 33 minutes during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Newcastle United FC at Old Trafford on December 30, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Juventus plan new round of Zirkzee talks with Man United

Still, Juventus are keen to add him to their attacking ranks, but pulling off a deal with just six months into Zirkzee’s United career is not without its difficulties.

According to reports on Friday, United are unwilling to let Zirkzee leave on a straight loan deal, while Juve do not currently have room in the budget to buy him permanently in January.

According to reports from both La Gazzetta dello Sport and Calciomercato.com on Sunday, Juventus are hoping to pull a deal off in the form of a loan deal with an option to buy. Calciomercato.com adds that a fresh round of talks could take place over the coming week.