Meetings on Friday and Saturday advance Manchester United transfer – Offer for exit getting clearer

Earlier this week, Il Messaggero reported AS Roma were looking to execute a loan with conditional obligation to sign Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee.

So far, the Red Devils have only opened up to a permanent sale or an outright obligation to buy.

While Roma are facing competition from England, Zirkzee has his heart set on joining the Giallorossi.

Today’s Corriere dello Sport indicates the deal could now be progressing.

Roma sporting director Ricky Massara had meetings with Manchester United in London on Friday and Saturday. Talks were also held with Zirkzee’s entourage.

The Italian club’s strategy is now clear. They initially want to reach an agreement over personal terms with the 24-year-old and postpone agent commissions until the summer.

Roma now want to offer an initial loan worth €5m-6m, or even higher, and an obligation to buy in July.

This is different to what has been previously reported and more in line with Manchester United’s demands. Despite Roma’s financial troubles, they want to come close to executing a deal and fix the goalscoring issue in their squad.

This suggests that the move is now going in the right direction, with Zirkzee open to resurrecting his career under Gian Piero Gasperini.