Manchester United's Striker Dilemma: Zirkzee's Future and Matanovic's Interest
Manchester United’s summer has been built around the midfield. The next big decision could be about the man who finishes the moves.
With Joshua Zirkzee’s future at Old Trafford hanging in the balance, United have moved into position for Freiburg striker Igor Matanovic, joining Tottenham and Fiorentina in a three-way tussle for one of the Bundesliga’s rising forwards.
United’s plan – and the Zirkzee question
INEOS set out this window with a clear blueprint: fix the middle of the pitch first. Carlos Baleba from Brighton, Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Andrey Santos from Chelsea have all arrived to reshape the engine room. Karl Darlow has come in as a back-up goalkeeper on a free, while young defender Tynan Thompson joined from Tottenham in a deal worth around £8m.
The message was simple: priorities first. A left-back, a left-winger and a striker were all discussed internally, but left-back was marked as the likeliest late addition.
Then Zirkzee’s situation started to move.
Interest from the Premier League and Serie A has sharpened in recent days, and, as Ben Jacobs has made clear, that changes the equation. INEOS are prepared to sanction a move for a new No 9 if – and only if – Zirkzee leaves.
“A left-back seems to be the priority,” Jacobs told Betway Insider. “They’ll be alert also to a No. 9, and if Joshua Zirkzee goes, that also becomes more pressing in the final hours or days of the window, and yet, if Manchester United can’t reinforce, then they obviously have the ability not to sanction a move.”
In other words, no replacement, no sale. But the market around Zirkzee is heating up.
Fiorentina, Kean – and a gap for Matanovic
In Italy, the dominoes are lining up. Como are set to sign Moise Kean before the deadline, a move that has nudged Fiorentina towards Zirkzee as their preferred striker option. Fabrizio Romano reports that the Serie A club are now in “advanced talks” to sign the Netherlands international from United.
At the same time, Fiorentina have been tracking another forward: Freiburg’s Igor Matanovic. Thursday’s print edition of Gazzetta dello Sport, relayed by Sport Witness, described a move for the Croatian as “difficult but not impossible” for the Florence club.
That difficulty has a name – or rather, two of them. Manchester United and Tottenham.
Matanovic, who hit 11 Bundesliga goals last season, has been tagged in Croatia as the “heir to Mario Mandzukic”: strong, aggressive, and comfortable leading the line on his own. That profile has drawn Premier League eyes, and the growing interest from England is complicating Fiorentina’s hopes of getting a deal done.
The picture is starting to take shape. Omar Marmoush is moving towards Tottenham. Fiorentina are getting serious over Zirkzee. If those two moves land, United could suddenly find a clear run at Matanovic just as they face the prospect of losing their current No 9.
The pressure in the final days of the window is building around that single decision: cash in on Zirkzee and pivot to a new striker, or hold firm and keep the status quo.
Left-back dilemma: now or 2027?
While the striker situation simmers, United’s left-back search remains a live subplot.
Jacobs has outlined the options and the tension inside the recruitment team. Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde has been offered around, with the Catalan club understood to be open to a sale at around €45m. On paper, that’s a marquee solution.
United, though, are wary of locking themselves in.
“Manchester United may be more inclined, though, to do a loan, and part of that is to give themselves freedom in 2027 if they want to make an assault on their top target, Lewis Hall,” Jacobs explained.
Hall, currently not thought to be available this late in the window, is viewed as the long-term answer. That leaves United with a choice: push hard now for a permanent signing like Balde, or bring in a stopgap on loan, keep the powder dry, and go after Hall next year.
“But Balde is one possibility,” Jacobs added. “I’m just told if Manchester United move, they would prefer to have a loan and potentially an option to buy, as opposed to an outright sale. That could still be one to watch between now and the end of the window.
“Nothing has advanced, though, and they’ve been offered Jorge Salinas and David Raum as another option left back.”
So the shortlist is there. Balde if the terms are right. Salinas and Raum as alternative routes. Hall as the long-term prize.
A window on a knife-edge
United’s summer has already been busy, but the decisive calls are still to come.
Does Zirkzee go, opening the door to Matanovic and a reshaped forward line? Do United commit big money at left-back now, or ride out another season to keep the path clear for Lewis Hall?
The squad rebuild has started in midfield. The next move will say everything about how bold this new regime really wants to be.
