Joshua Zirkzee wants to stay at Manchester United to fight for his place in the squad amid interest from Roma.
Sky Sports News reported the Serie A side would prefer to sign him initially on loan, with a right to buy if certain conditions are met.
United are aware of the interest but are not thought to be actively looking to sell Zirkzee when the transfer window opens – and he has recently made an impact in Ruben Amorim’s team.
He started up front against West Ham on December 14 and was a late substitute in the 4-1 win at Wolves four days later.
Zirkzee has started three of Manchester United’s last four games
Amorim is short of forward options given a recent injury to Benjamin Sesko, although Matheus Cunha has returned from a spell on the sidelines.
United are set to lose Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo to the Africa Cup of Nations in the coming week, with the tournament starting on December 21. The final takes place on January 18.
The United forward has a contract at Old Trafford until the summer of 2029, with the option of another 12 months.
Zirkzee has made three starts in the Premier League this term and named in Amorim’s first XI in three of United’s last four games. He has played a total of 345 minutes, scoring once.
Should Man Utd consider Zirkzee as surplus?
Analysis by Sky Sports’ Laura Hunter:
A glance at Joshua Zirkzee’s numbers this season, or indeed since he arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2024, would suggest that allowing him to leave in January would be no great loss to Manchester United.
Clearly, the forward has not managed to do much to impress Ruben Amorim. United’s elaborate £207m spend on three new forwards in this most recent transfer window tells you as much. In total, Zirkzee has scored eight goals in all competitions across a fairly underwhelming 18 months in United colours. Physicality has been an issue, and productivity under pressure hard to come by.
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Zirkzee fired home from a very tight angle to equalise for United against Crystal Palace
But, and this is important, United at this juncture cannot spare him. His smart equaliser from a tight angle in last month’s 2-1 win at Crystal Palace showed glimpses of what he’s about and why United signed him in the first place. Amorim singled him out for praise after that performance.
Besides, options are few. The loss of Bryan Mbeumo surely necessitates he stays beyond January, even if he’s only used from the bench. United do not have the same bounty of forwards with Mbeumo gone and Sesko injured as many of their closest rivals, and that alone is perhaps argument enough for Zirkzee to stay put.
