Fiorentina’s confidence in getting a deal over the line for Joshua Zirkzee has increased significantly ‘in the last 24 hours’.
As per Ben Jacobs (via The United Stand), Fiorentina are keen to get an agreement wrapped up as swiftly as possible, as they anticipate that other clubs will enter the race.
Joshua Zirkzee on verge of Fiorentina move
La Viola called Zirkzee at the beginning of the week to pitch their proposal, which enticed the forward.
He reportedly made it clear that he preferred a return to Serie A, despite garnering interest from sides in the Premier League – including Champions League-qualified Aston Villa.
🚨 NEW: Aston Villa have called to understand the conditions of a deal for Joshua Zirkzee. @FabrizioRomano #avfc
— villareport (@villareport) August 22, 2026
However, the Villans did then prioritise a move for Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson this week, meaning they were unlikely to act on their interest in Zirkzee any further.
Michael Carrick opted against playing the Dutch international for last Saturday’s season-opener away to Hull City, indicating that Zirkzee is in line to continue playing a heavily reduced role under the manager.
| Appearances | Starts | Unused substitute | Minutes played |
| 10 | 1 | 6 | 127 |
Zirkzee’s record under Carrick (courtesy of Transfermarkt)
Zirkzee ready to explore new venture
The addition of Champions League football would perhaps grant him more opportunities to stake his claim, but the reintegration of Marcus Rashford means the former Bayern Munich star has yet another teammate to battle with for minutes.
The best of Joshua Zirkzee against Crystal Palace 👌
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 2, 2026
It’s expected that Zirkzee’s switch to Fiorentina will be on a season-long loan, after which the Italian outfit will have the option to sign him permanently. They will also pay a £4.2 million loan fee to United.
Reports have suggested that INEOS would try to sign a striker in the event Zirkzee departed, though they are running out of time to hash out a deal and are yet to be reliably linked with any centre-forwards.
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