Manchester United's Striker Dilemma: Matanovic Move as Zirkzee Future Uncertain
Manchester United’s summer was supposed to be straightforward: rebuild the midfield, tidy up the squad, and leave the big decisions in attack for another day. That plan is starting to fray.
With Joshua Zirkzee’s future at Old Trafford increasingly uncertain, United have joined Tottenham and Fiorentina in the chase for Freiburg striker Igor Matanovic, a forward some in Croatia are already labelling the heir to Mario Mandzukic.
From midfield rebuild to striker dilemma
INEOS went into this window with a clear priority. The middle of the pitch had to be fixed. Carlos Baleba from Brighton, Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Andrey Santos from Chelsea have all arrived to give United fresh legs and a different profile in midfield.
Behind them, Karl Darlow has been brought in on a free as back-up in goal, while young defender Tynan Thompson has joined from Tottenham in a deal worth around £8m. The spine has been padded out. The squad looks deeper. On paper, the heavy lifting was done.
Yet the market rarely lets a club stick to the script.
United have been linked with a left-back, a left-winger and a striker as the window ticks towards its close. The left side of defence remains the most likely area for immediate reinforcement, but one decision could change everything: Zirkzee.
Zirkzee exit could trigger late striker scramble
Ben Jacobs has been clear about the internal thinking. United do not have to sell Zirkzee. They also do not have to buy a striker. But if the Dutchman leaves, the equation changes.
Speaking to Betway Insider, Jacobs explained that United are “alert” to the No. 9 market and that a Zirkzee departure would make a new centre-forward “more pressing in the final hours or days of the window”. The club, crucially, retain the option not to sanction a sale if they cannot adequately replace him.
That safety net is being tested.
With Moise Kean closing in on a move to Como, Fiorentina have moved into what Fabrizio Romano has described as “advanced talks” with United over Zirkzee. The Serie A club want him. They are pushing. And if they get their way, United will be forced into action up front.
Matanovic: Mandzukic’s ‘heir’ on Premier League radar
Enter Igor Matanovic.
Thursday’s print edition of Gazzetta dello Sport, relayed by Sport Witness, reports that Fiorentina are also tracking the Freiburg striker. The Italian side see him as another possible solution in attack, even if the deal is described as “difficult but not impossible”.
The difficulty is growing by the day. Tottenham and Manchester United have both joined the race, complicating Fiorentina’s pursuit and driving up the level of competition for the 21-year-old, who hit 11 Bundesliga goals last season.
In Croatia, Matanovic is already being talked about as the natural successor to Mario Mandzukic – a tag that carries weight. Physical, direct, and with an eye for goal, he fits the profile of a traditional No. 9 who can lead the line in a top European league.
The dominoes are lining up. If Omar Marmoush completes his move to Tottenham and Fiorentina close in on Zirkzee, United could suddenly find a clear path to Matanovic. The market is shaping the choices as much as any long-term plan.
Left-back puzzle: Balde now, Hall later?
While the striker situation threatens to erupt late in the window, United’s left-back search continues in the background – but with its own layer of strategy.
Jacobs says the position remains one to “keep a close eye” on in the final days. Alejandro Balde has been offered around, with Barcelona understood to be willing to approve a sale at around €45m.
That kind of fee would usually tempt United, yet the club’s thinking here is more nuanced. They are reluctant to commit to a permanent deal now because of their longer-term admiration for Lewis Hall. Hall, currently not considered available this late in the window, is viewed as a top target for 2027, when United would like the freedom to make a major move.
So the question inside Old Trafford is simple, but awkward: spend big now, or wait?
A loan for Balde – ideally with an option to buy rather than an obligation – would suit United’s timeline far better. It would give them cover immediately without closing the door on Hall. Balde remains “one to watch” in that context, though Jacobs stresses that nothing has advanced yet.
United have also been offered Jorge Salinas and David Raum as alternative options on the left, but at this stage those names sit behind Balde in terms of profile and fit.
A window on the brink
United’s summer started with clarity. It now sits on a knife-edge.
If Zirkzee stays, the club can afford to walk away from the late scramble for strikers and focus on a pragmatic solution at left-back. If he goes, the calm, measured rebuild gives way to a frantic dash for a No. 9 – with Igor Matanovic suddenly thrust to the centre of their plans.
The clock is ticking. Does Old Trafford double down on the long-term blueprint, or bend to the chaos of the market in the final days of the window?
