Manchester United could leverage Joshua Zirkzee to sign Victor Osimhen

Manchester United could leverage Joshua Zirkzee to sign Victor Osimhen

Manchester United may sacrifice a promising young talent in order to sign striker Victor Osimhen.

With a massive squad rebuild expected to get underway this transfer window, Man United have been heavily linked with Osimhen, especially given their pressing need for a proven goalscorer up front.

However, Osimhen’s reported €75m transfer fee seems to be a major concern, with The Peoples Person noting that United are allegedly unwilling to foot his hefty bill.

Despite this understandable concern, it now appears that United may have found a way around this issue by giving up one of their own.

This morning, La Gazetta dello Sport reported that United could send Joshua Zirkzee to Napoli in an effort to facilitate Osimhen’s transfer.

“Garnacho – now on vacation in Rome, as shown on social media – is now part of the past,” the report read, seeming to put an end to the links between Alejandro Garnacho and Napoli.

“For this reason, United is evaluating the possibility of making an offer to Napoli, putting Joshua Zirkzee at the centre of the package,” the article continued.

“The Dutchman did not live up to the expectations of the English club, while in Italy he left an excellent memory,” the report concluded, indicating that it is Zirkzee’s fine record in Italy that could convince Napoli to take a chance on him.

While Zirkzee has improved significantly since first arriving at Old Trafford, United seem to be in more need of a proven striker such as Osimhen than a forward such as Zirkzee, despite his clear versatility and ability to slot in anywhere in manager Ruben Amorim’s front three.

Although there is no concrete offer for Osimhen as of yet, United received a massive transfer boost earlier this week.

Fabrizio Romano reported that Osimhen turned down a lucrative offer from Al-Hilal, who seemed to be competing with United to sign the Nigerian goal machine.

Still, even if another rival emerged with a more tempting offer for Osimhen, United can take satisfaction in the fact that they remain linked with several other capable strikers, with Viktor Gyokeres and Jean-Philippe Mateta among them.