Roma is willing to pay €40 million for Joshua Zirkzee on a loan-to-buy deal! Manchester United is open to letting him go, but the transfer must wait until late January.

Although Bruno Fernandes will be out for around a month with injury, Manchester United is still prepared to let striker Joshua Zirkzee move to Serie A’s Roma during the January transfer window. Yet, the Italians must fulfill several conditions imposed by the Red Devils for the transfer to go through.

After joining Manchester United from Bologna for €42.5 million, Zirkzee has fallen short of expectations, netting only 4 goals in the Premier League. Due to Sessegnon’s injury, he was given three starts, but in the last three matches, the 24-year-old Dutch forward has returned to the bench, playing just 25 minutes in total.

It’s an undeniable fact that Ruben Amorim prefers not to use Zirkzee unless absolutely necessary. Zirkzee’s desire to leave Manchester United to participate in next year’s World Cup is well known, and Roma is the frontrunner to sign him. He has already held talks with Roma’s head coach Giampiero Gasperini and is enthusiastic about returning to Serie A.

Zirkzee has surely noticed the experience of Hojlund, who once competed with him for a spot at Manchester United and recently won the Italian Super Cup with Napoli. After lifting the trophy, Hojlund, nicknamed the "Red Devil’s Dream," took to social media to mock Manchester United and expressed relief about his decision to leave. The Danish forward posted a photo of the trophy and commented, "This is what a great decision brings.”

Dutch outlet Voetbal International reports that Manchester United is willing to negotiate with Roma but demands that the Italian club meet two key conditions regarding price and timing. Firstly, the Red Devils will not finalize Zirkzee’s transfer before the Africa Cup of Nations to avoid lacking attacking backups. This demand is even more urgent due to Bruno Fernandes’ injury and United’s failure to sign Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo.

Secondly, Manchester United requires Roma to commit to a mandatory purchase option after the loan period to prevent a free ride, with the fixed buyout price no less than €35 million. According to Italy’s Corriere dello Sport, Roma has agreed to pay a €5 million loan fee and cover Zirkzee’s wages; if they qualify for the Champions League, they will pay a €30 million buyout plus a €5 million bonus, totaling a €40 million transfer fee. Therefore, the deal is considered to be in its final stages and nearly sealed.

Roma currently sits fourth in Serie A, securing a Champions League qualification spot, but they lead Juventus by only one point. The team’s biggest issue is scoring too few goals: after 16 rounds, they have only scored 17 goals, the lowest among the top ten Serie A teams and equal to bottom-placed Fiorentina!

Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reports that Roma is negotiating for two forwards simultaneously: besides Zirkzee, they are also in talks with Atlético Madrid over Giacomo Raspadori. Both negotiations are ongoing but no agreements have been reached yet.

The "Giallorossi" might have learned from their mistake last summer with Sancho, when they agreed terms with Manchester United but the player refused to join. Now the risk is reversed: the player has agreed, but the club side might still harbor uncertainties.

According to Sky Sport Italy, Manchester United would prefer Roma to buy Zirkzee outright so the club can use the funds to strengthen the squad in the winter window. Amorim is looking to add a new midfielder and a new wing-back.