Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Man Utd ‘offering’ €30m plus ‘dud’ for goal-per-game striker in ‘sensational swap’

Ruben Amorim, Victor Osimhen and Joshua Zirkzee

Ruben Amorim could be dreaming of signing Osimhen and ditching Zirkzee

Manchester United are ‘offering’ €30m plus Joshua Zirkzee in an attempt to sign Victor Osimhen, with a report revealing Napoli’s stance on the proposal as well as the biggest hurdle the Red Devils must overcome.

Zirkzee has struggled to make an impact following his £36.5m arrival from Bologna and talk of an early return to Serie A has already ramped up.

New manager Ruben Amorim has declared he won’t instruct Man Utd to raid former club Sporting CP in January. As such, if United are to add a top class striker mid-season, they’ll have to bypass Viktor Gyokeres.

And according to a fresh update from CalcioNapoli24, Man Utd have set their sights on Victor Osimhen instead.

The 25-year-old plays for Napoli, though is currently loaned to Turkish giant Galatasaray where he’s scored eight goals and provided four assists in just nine matches.

Osimhen’s loan agreement with Galatasaray contains a break clause that allows the frontman to join another club in January, so long as it’s a permanent move.

His Napoli contract also contains a key agreement – a €75m release clause – though the report claims interested clubs are thus far unwilling to trigger it.

Instead, it’s stated Man Utd are ‘offering’ €30m plus Zirkzee – labelled a ‘dud’ – in a ‘sensational’ cash-plus-player swap.

READ MORE: The key contract details of every Man Utd first-team player: Expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…

Napoli’s stance on Zirkzee plus cash for Osimhen

The report states Napoli have ‘some doubts’ over the viability of the alleged proposal thanks in large part to wanting a cash-only sale for Osimhen.

Furthermore, it’s revealed Osimhen’s high salary – believed to be roughly €240,000-a-week – would ‘weigh on negotiations.’

In other words, Man Utd wouldn’t be all too willing to match the striker’s wage demands even if Napoli did greenlight a move.

Another factor to consider would be whether Zirkzee would be on board with returning to Serie A just six months after joining Man Utd.

The change of manager to Amorim could in theory offer Zirkzee a fresh chance to prove his worth. However, Tuttosport reported earlier in November that Amorim does not view Zirkzee as an adequate striker for his system.

READ MORE: Five Man Utd players who could suffer from Ruben Amorim being appointed as next manager

In the event the Zirkzee-Osimhen swap crumbles, numerous outlets have touted Juventus as a viable destination for Zirkzee at some stage in 2025.

Of course, offloading Zirkzee would only make sense for Man Utd if a direct replacement were signed.

Latest Man Utd news – Amorim, Casemiro, Eriksen, Kerkez

In other news, The Telegraph reported Amorim will have to work with a reduced transfer budget when compared to predecessor Erik ten Hag. A need to conform to PSR rules was listed as the primary reason why.

Elsewhere, Caught Offside state midfield pair Casemiro and Christian Eriksen are unlikely to feature prominently in Amorim’s plans.

Accordingly, Casemiro can reportedly leave if bids of around £30m are tabled in January. Fabrizio Romano recently reaffirmed Eriksen – out of contract at season’s end – won’t be offered a new deal.

Finally, Man Utd have enquired into the signing of Bournemouth left-back, Milos Kerkez. The Hungarian is a key transfer target for Liverpool and a bidding war could await.

GO DEEPER: Why it’s not working for Joshua Zirkzee at Man Utd

Assessment by Nathan Egerton

Zirkzee made a dream start to his United career, coming off the bench to score a winner against Fulham in front of the Stretford End on his debut.

But he’s been unable to build on that start, and has failed to find the net in any of his 16 appearances that have followed.

The 6ft 4in striker has a languid style and likes to play at his own pace and has clearly struggled with the speed and intensity of Premier League football.

“Go watch Zirkzee play in the Premier League and tell me if he seems like the same player we admired in Bologna: in Italy he did what he wanted, in England he doesn’t even have time to think about the play before the ball is stolen from him,” Fabio Capello said.

Despite his height, he’s not a physical presence and most notably failed to win any of his 10 ground and aerial duels in the 3-0 defeat against Liverpool.

The 23-year-old – who describes himself as a ‘9.5’ – also lacks a killer instinct in the penalty area and has missed four big chances in the Premier League this season.

There have been flashes of quality in his link-up play outside the box and a front two with both Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund may get the best out of the Netherlands international.

He also needs to be surrounded by players that are comfortable with the ball at their feet, which will allow him to showcase his technical abilities.