Manchester United are reportedly closing in on the acquisitions of both Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee and Bayern Munich central defender Matthijs De Ligt. Personal terms are already long agreed for both, now it’s just a matter of finalizing the financials to get their first two signings of the summer over the line.
It may feel like it is still early in the transfer window, but it’s actually not.
After all, the Red Devils opened training camp today, and their first preseason friendly is actually just one week away. Let’s take a look at how much progress has already been accomplished with Zirkzee and De Ligt, and then we’ll also analyze what tasks still need to be accomplished.
With Zirkzee, United are still exploring options that could structure a deal which circumvents them from having to exercise his £34m release clause. However, the club will go that route if they need to. It has been widely reported that they have no issues with that.
Moving on to the other Dutch international that United are closing in on, De Ligt wants the move, and this will transfer will ultimately serve as a reunion between the player and his old boss in Ten Hag. The 24-year-old fills United’s top positional needs this summer, so once they get this deal closed, you can honestly say that MUFC are getting things done this summer.
However, there is some blowback from the Bayern backers. A supporter petition was started in Munich, and over 60,000 have reportedly signed it.
After these two signings are done, United still have plenty of work to do, and we cover the next potential signing in this post here.
Paul M.. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.