Manchester United discussing €25m conditional obligation to buy

Fiorentina have joined the race for Joshua Zirkzee this week and Manchester United now have a big decision to make.

On Thursday, Sport Witness covered how La Viola made initial contact for the Dutchman. He is seen as a replacement for the departing Moise Kean, who is on his way to Como.

An initial loan deal was being attempted by the Italian side, who were pushing to beat Juventus in the race.

While a deal is going in the right direction, everything now hinges on Manchester United.

First offer made

Today’s print edition of Gazzetta dello Sport add significant details to the matter, noting that full-blown negotiations are ongoing between the clubs for Zirkzee.

Fiorentina sporting director Fabio Paratici has a great relationship with the player’s agent Kia Joorabchian. This is helping discussions, with parties discussing a high-cost loan deal worth €5m.

Fiorentina will have an option or conditional obligation to buy for €25m. This has helped them oust competition from Juve, who are yet to make way by moving on from Jonathan David.

As a result, an initial offer has been made and Manchester United will soon make a decision about it.

Zirkzee has now opened up to moving to the Artemio Franchi. Initially, he only wanted to move to Juve but sees Fiorentina as an opportunity to get his career back on track.

Zirkzee could be the centre of the project

During his time at Bologna, Zirkzee would often dictate Bologna’s attack. His movement created spaces for other attackers, helping Thiago Motta’s system thrive. This was never true at Manchester United but could happen at Fiorentina.

He will be the centre of the project in Florence, especially as he is replacing a key player in Kean. This is exactly what the 25-year-old needs now.

Fiorentina are building an exciting new project under Fabio Grosso and Paratici too. Manchester United should see this as a sign that inserting a conditional obligation could be favourable and they can earn a €30m package.