Milan have been given an advantage in the race with Manchester United for Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee, reports detail.
The 22-year-old Dutch striker has been one of the stars of the show in Thiago Motta’s squad this term, scoring 10 goals and providing six assists in 27 appearances across all competitions, emerging as one of the most exciting young forwards in Europe.
Milan have long been in the market for a new striker, needing a reliable long-term replacement for Olivier Giroud, and they are expected to invest a significant sum in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Page 16 of today’s Gazzetta dello Sport details how Zirkzee would prefer to stay in Italy and join another Italian club in the summer, rather than heading off to a topflight team abroad.
The 22-year-old is aware that a jump to a club in the Premier League is a big change and could disrupt his development, so he’d prefer to stay in Italy for the time being, giving Milan a huge boost in the race with Manchester United for his signature.
Bologna believe Zirkzee is worth far more than the €40m buy-back clause inserted by Bayern and looking at the cost of Rasmus Hojlund’s sale to the Red Devils, they want a similar price.