Fiorentina Leads Juventus in Joshua Zirkzee Pursuit

Fiorentina have moved into pole position to sign Joshua Zirkzee from Manchester United, stealing a march on Juventus as both Italian clubs circle a forward who has run out of road at Old Trafford.

United are prepared to let the Dutchman leave before the end of the summer window after two flat years in Manchester. The 25-year-old started only five Premier League games last season and didn’t get off the bench in United’s opening league fixture of the 2026-27 campaign against newly-promoted Hull City.

The return of Marcus Rashford from his loan at Barcelona has squeezed Zirkzee’s chances even further. With the pecking order in attack tightening, a clean break now looks inevitable.

Serie A, though, still remembers him differently.

Zirkzee hit 11 league goals in his final season with Bologna in 2023-24, form that convinced both Juventus and Fiorentina to explore bringing him back to Italy. His blend of size, touch and link-up play made him one of the more intriguing forwards in the division that year, and that reputation has not faded.

This time, the context is shaping the chase.

Juventus want another attacker but are constrained by their own squad puzzle. They need to move Jonathan David on before they can seriously commit to a deal for Zirkzee. Until that happens, their interest sits in the waiting room.

Fiorentina, by contrast, need action now. Moise Kean is on the verge of joining Champions League newcomers Como in a €40m move, leaving a sizeable gap at the top of the pitch and cash ready to be reinvested. La Viola are actively hunting a replacement, not just scouting for one.

That urgency has shifted the balance.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Fiorentina are currently in the stronger position to strike an agreement with Manchester United, with their need for an immediate starter contrasting sharply with Juventus’s more conditional approach.

For Zirkzee, it sets up a familiar crossroads: stay and stagnate in England, or return to a league where he has already proved he can carry an attack. For Fiorentina and Juventus, the question is simpler — who moves fast enough, and who hesitates just long enough, to miss out?