Newcastle ready to make £43m bid for Serie A striker they’ll tempt with ‘mega salary’ offer

Newcastle United are showing a strong interest in signing Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee and are aiming to outbid a Serie A suitor, according to reports in Italy.

Zirkzee joined Bologna from Bayern Munich in August 2022 and despite a slow start, has ultimately flourished with the greater responsibility he has been granted. This season, for example, he has already scored eight goals from 18 appearances between Serie A and the Coppa Italia.

His form has once again been attracting bigger clubs, despite his previous struggles to fully convince Bayern. Among his current admirers are AC Milan, as reports have been revealing in recent days.

But according to Milan Web, the Rossoneri face competition from Newcastle for Zirkzee’s signature.

In fact, it is claimed that the Magpies would be willing to table an offer in the region of €50m (£43m) for the Dutchman.

Moreover, they could offer him better personal terms than Milan could, since the report suggests they may lure him with a kind of ‘mega salary’ that Stefano Pioli’s side would not be able to compete with.

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Therefore, there is a chance that Zirkzee could become someone to compete with Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson at centre-forward for Newcastle.

At the age of 22, he would represent a long-term successor to the Swede and the Englishman.

Newcastle could introduce Zirkzee to English football

Playing in the Premier League would be a new experience for Zirkzee, who has so far represented clubs in Germany (Bayern), Italy (Parma and Bologna) and Belgium (Anderlecht).

During his time with Bayern, he earned a couple of appearances in the Champions League, while Anderlecht gave him a platform in the Europa Conference League.

Now, Zirkzee seems ready to step up a level again towards the UEFA stage, so Newcastle could become a solution after reaching this season’s Champions League.

He could link up with Dutch compatriot Sven Botman at St. James’ Park if a move does eventually go through.

For now, though, he ought to be focusing on his current commitments with Bologna, who still have him under contract until 2026 after paying €8.5m for his services last summer.

When the time comes to sell him, they should be able to make a significant profit. Only time will tell if Newcastle will be the ones to pay up, or if it might be Milan instead after all.

After still having to rely on Olivier Giroud last season, Milan signed Noah Okafor from Red Bull Salzburg and Luka Jovic from Fiorentina to strengthen their attack this summer.

Jovic is only on a one-year contract, though, so is battling to prove himself while Milan consider their long-term options.

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