Manchester United only has one obstacle left to sign the new Ibrahimovic, and the individual contract has been agreed! Ten Hag's reasons for choosing him have been revealed

Romy's Manchester United blog

2024-07-08 08:25Posted in Hong Kong, China

United's two deals in the summer window are nearing completion, with both Dutchman signings in Bologna centre-forward Joshua Zirkze and Bayern Munich centre-back De Ligt. Among them, Zirkze's transfer is closer to completion, and his personal terms and agent commissions have been agreed, as long as the Red Devils pay the breach fee, it can be officially closed.

In the post-match interview at the European Championship, Zirkze was vague when it came to his future next season. "I don't know next season yet, so let's see. Is there a 50% chance of staying? Let's wait and see."

Manchester United are working hard to finalise a deal for Zirkze, with his personal package at £5 million a year, while Horabuchin receives a 10million commission. The club believes that overall it is good value for money. Zirkze has a £34 million (€40 million) release clause in his contract, but talks over a transfer fee continue.

David Ornstein, an authoritative transfer expert at The Athletic, explained that if the breach clause is paid, it must be paid in full lump sum, which is a cash flow challenge for Manchester United. As a result, the club is looking at whether to use a release clause or negotiate with Bologna, the second of which could lead to a slight increase in the transfer fee, but which can be paid in instalments.

Manchester United took the latter option when they signed Portuguese full-back Diogu Dalow in 2018. Darlow broke his contract with Porto for £17.5 million, but Manchester United signed him for £19 million. This is because there are other factors involved in the use of breach money, such as the issue of paying taxes. The breach fee needs to be paid by the player, which means that Manchester United will have to pay the money to the individual, so that the player will have to pay taxes, and this money will also need to be paid by the club, which may be more costly than giving a transfer fee.

In any case, Bologna's £7 million (€8.5 million) buyout of Bayern Munich in 2022 is destined to make a fortune, which, combined with the potentially high income from playing in the Champions League, is enough to bring in a replacement for the Dutch international, such as Juventus youngster Ildez.

To be sure, the 23-year-old is United's chosen new centre-forward and a deal is close to being done. He impressed for Bologna last season, scoring 11 goals and providing five assists in Serie A as he upset Thiago Motta's side into next season's Champions League. Manchester United began considering bringing him in last month as a replacement for No.9 Anthony Martial, who is out of contract at the end of his contract.

Manchester United believe Zirkze has complementary technical characteristics to Hojlund and can increase tactical options up front. Zirkze made his debut for the Netherlands in Saturday's 2-1 quarter-final win over Turkey, showing his ability to pull back and help organis.

Once at Manchester United, Zirkze will have the ability to take long balls from team-mates at the back Andre Onana or Lisandro Martinez up front and distribute them to team-mates. This is something that the likes of existing strikers Hojlund, Garnacho and Rashford are not good at. In United's forward line, wingmen don't exist, they prefer to be the protagonists themselves, so there is an urgent need for an unselfish man like Zirkze.

With Zirkze's transitional role, Hojlund can play better without having to deal with two centre-backs alone. As a lone striker, Ten Hag has two different centre-forward options that can be chosen depending on the opponent and tactical needs.

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