The Dutchman has never really made his mark in England, having started just four matches this season, and is likely to be sold in the summer Time and again, in almost every recent transfer window, Joshua Zirkzee’s name has been linked with Serie A. Since the Dutch striker left Bologna to join Manchester United, he has always left the door open for a future return to Italy: the player has fond memories of his time with the Rossoblù, where – in terms of statistics – he enjoyed his best season since his time at Anderlecht. In England, however, he is struggling to secure a starting place. Having arrived during one of the worst periods in the Red Devils’ history, in a year and a half he has yet to reach the levels he achieved at Bologna. And this summer, he could be packing his bags. Zirkzee’s contract with Manchester United expires in June 2029, but the feeling is that he may leave the English club before the deal runs out; had it been up to him, he would have left as early as January – when Roma were in the running for his signature – so as not to lose his place in the national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Whilst waiting to see if he will be included in the Netherlands squad, he continues to be out of United’s plans: he was under Amorim before and remains so since Carrick’s arrival. Since the start of the season, the striker has made 20 appearances across all competitions, but only four as a starter; looking solely at the last five Premier League matches, his total playing time does not even reach half an hour. These figures are pushing Joshua Zirkzee further and further away from Manchester United. Up front, the former Bologna player is blocked by Matheus Cunha and Sesko – both of whom arrived in the summer for a combined total of nearly €150 million – and in a few months’ time, the transfer market spotlight will be back on him. Having cost €42.5 million in the summer of 2024, the player’s value has now dropped, and Serie A clubs could make fresh attempts to bring him back to Italy: Roma are keeping an eye on the situation, given that they will be saying goodbye to Ferguson and likely Dovbyk; Milan – who had already been in talks for him when he was at Bologna – will be making changes up front; Inter could make a major sale and it is not out of the question that they might go for Zirkzee; and even Juventus could free up a spot should they sell (at least one of) David, Openda and Vlahovic.Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting