Joshua Zirkzee’s move to Juventus has narrowed to a fight over one clause. Manchester United want any loan to carry an obligation to buy. Juventus would rather keep it as an option.

Sky Sport Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio reported on Wednesday that United have opened up to the idea of sending the Dutch striker back to Serie A on loan for 2026-27, and that Zirkzee’s camp, led by agent Kia Joorabchian, is comfortable with the destination.

Where the two sides are not aligning is the shape of the deal. United are said to be pushing for a permanent transfer, or at minimum a loan with a mandatory purchase clause, so any exit recovers part of the outlay from Bologna in 2024.

Juventus prefer the flexibility of a straight option and are pressing to close negotiations before the Italian window shuts.

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United’s summer keeps circling Turin

Zirkzee is not the only Old Trafford storyline running through Juventus this week.

Teun Koopmeiners, the Netherlands midfielder Juventus paid €55m to sign from Atalanta in 2024, has been floated as a Manchester United target under Michael Carrick, with the Italian side reportedly open to a departure for around €30m after a stop-start first season in Turin.

Aston Villa are credited with matching interest, and the reporting is soft: Koopmeiners sits on a list of names Carrick’s recruitment staff have logged, not a settled priority.

Neither strand has been confirmed by any of the clubs involved. The Manchester Evening News grouped the two threads together on Wednesday, casting them as parallel moves in a window Old Trafford has spent trying to reshape the squad rather than settle it.

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Zirkzee’s Italian pull

The 25-year-old has reason to want the move. He has never nailed down a starting place at Old Trafford, and his best football has come in Italy, where he was named Serie A’s best Under-23 player during a standout 2023-24 season at Bologna.

Carrick, appointed permanently after his January interim spell, has not spoken publicly about the striker’s future.

The Italian summer window closes on 1 September, giving Juventus and United the next few weeks to settle whether Zirkzee moves on an option or an obligation.

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