Juventus are considering a move for Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee as negotiations for Randal Kolo Muani continue to stall, according to reports in Italy. The club’s sporting director, Giovanni Carnevali, along with Ricky Massara and Marco Ottolini, have reportedly made contact with representatives for the 25-year-old Dutchman to assess his availability and potential transfer conditions.
This interest in Zirkzee comes as Juventus await a response from Paris Saint-Germain regarding Kolo Muani. Juventus have offered €40 million for the French striker, but PSG are currently holding out for €50 million. The club are keen to avoid a repeat of last summer’s drawn-out pursuit of Lois Openda, and are therefore exploring alternative options. The need for attacking reinforcements has become more urgent following an injury to new signing Ekhator.
Zirkzee is not considered a guaranteed starter at Old Trafford, but Manchester United are believed to value him in the region of €35-40 million. The forward has struggled to replicate his Serie A form in the Premier League, making 26 appearances and scoring only two goals in the 2025-26 season. He reportedly misses Italy, having been linked with a return to the league both last summer and in January.
Zirkzee previously played for Bologna under Thiago Motta, where he enjoyed a prolific season, scoring 12 goals and providing 7 assists in the 2023-24 campaign. Juventus previously attempted to sign Zirkzee during his time at Bologna, with both Cristiano Giuntoli and, more recently, Damien Comolli expressing interest. The club also considered a loan move for him in January, but Manchester United were unwilling to let him leave. Zirkzee’s salary of €4 million per year is within Juventus’s reach, and he has reportedly been open to accepting a slightly lower salary than he would receive in Paris to secure a move to Turin. Juventus are also monitoring Richarlison of Tottenham and Mateo Pellegrino of Parma as potential alternatives.
Juventus remain focused on signing Kolo Muani, but are proactively exploring other options to ensure they have a suitable replacement for Dusan Vlahovic. Securing Zirkzee would provide Luciano Spalletti with a much-needed attacking option and potentially strengthen Juventus’s squad ahead of the new season.
