Man Utd get major Zirkzee update as €20m deal made official

Robin Bairner

Updated: 24 Jan 2026 20:57 GMT
4 min read

Joshua Zirkzee, Man Utd, 2025/26 — © IMAGO

The January transfer saga of Manchester United attacker Joshua Zirkzee finally appears to be over thanks to Napoli’s announcement of a €20 million signing.

Article continues under the video

The Serie A club had long harboured ambitions of taking the Netherlands international back to Italy only for Man Utd to resist their approaches due to a lack of depth in their squad.

Ultimately, the Red Devils forced Napoli to back down, with the Serie A champions announcing on Saturday a deal has been completed for Hellas Verona striker Giovane, who will hook up with Scott McTominay & Co. after completing a €20m switch.

Current ETV

Joshua Zirkzee

F (C)

Man Utd

Joshua Zirkzee

F (C)

Man Utd

ETV Range

€32.3M - €39.4M

Where does this leave Zirkzee?

Man Utd have been reticent to make any changes to their squad in January, whether that’s players arriving at the club or departing.

The Red Devils are not shutting themselves off to any possibilities, but it appears unlikely that Zirkzee will depart unless they can find an alternative attacker at a very attractive price.

Interest in the 24-year-old persists, though.

Florian Plettenberg reported on Thursday via X: “AS Roma and several other clubs are still in the race for Joshua Zirkzee. Concrete enquiries for loan deals have been made. A final decision is expected soon.”

With Napoli moving to sign Brazil U20 international Giovane, a player who operates in Zirkzee’s preferred shadow striker role, it would suggest that United had taken a firm enough stance with Antonio Conte’s side to make them believe that a deal for the ex-Bologna star would not be possible.

Zirkzee has a chance to win his place at United

Under Ruben Amorim, Zirkzee was so peripheral that his future seemed certain to lie away from Old Trafford, but the departure of the Portuguese has breathed new life into his prospects.

He will have to win over Michael Carrick, though after a goal and an assist across his last three Premier League matches, his form is such that he is giving himself a chance.

Zirkzee missed the 2-0 win over Manchester City last weekend due to injury, however.

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•Google Play

•App Store