Joshua Zirkzee Edges Towards Loan Move to Fiorentina

Joshua Zirkzee is edging towards the Old Trafford exit, with Fiorentina pushing to take the Manchester United forward on an initial loan.

Talks between the clubs are active over a deal that would see the Netherlands international move to Florence until the end of the season, with an option to make the transfer permanent next summer. The structure is clear: a temporary escape now, the possibility of a full break later.

For now, there is no agreement. Nobody is calling it imminent. But there is genuine optimism on all sides that something can be tied up before the 1 September deadline. Crucially, Zirkzee is open to the move and to testing himself in Serie A again.

United only signed the 25-year-old from Bologna in 2024, paying £36.5m after he was named Serie A's Under-23 player of the season for 2023-24. He arrived as a forward with flair and upside, and he wasted no time making a first impression, scoring on his debut in a 1-0 win over Fulham.

The momentum stalled. Across two seasons he has struggled to nail down a consistent starting role, registering just 27 starts in 75 appearances in all competitions. Last season underlined the problem: only five Premier League starts in 2025-26, nine goals in total for the club, and long stretches watching from the bench.

With three years still left on his contract, United are not being forced into a fire sale. A loan with an option suits them: it protects value, creates a market, and gives Zirkzee the minutes he cannot find regularly in Manchester.

For Fiorentina, it is a chance to bring back a forward who already knows the league and has shown he can thrive in it. For Zirkzee, it is something else entirely — a crossroads. Another season on the fringes in England, or a reset in Italy where his reputation was built.