Man Utd target Joshua Zirkzee 'not ready' for Old Trafford move as defender deemed to be 'expendable'

Manchester United are at the start of what promises to be an interesting summer transfer window. Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe will be keen to make his mark in his first transfer window at Old Trafford but it would seem as though they won't be able to spend as much as they would like due to financial restrictions.

As such players are expected to leave as Ineos look to bring in fresh faces and revamp Erik ten Hag's squad. The club have already been linked with an army of players both domestically and abroad and here, we round-up some of the latest United news.

Zirkzee 'not ready'

Former Nottingham Forest man and Netherlands international Bryan Roy believes Joshua Zirkzee could do with another season with Bologna before making the step up to Man United. The Red Devils have been strongly linked with a move for the forward, who was instrumental in helping Bologna qualify for the Champions League last season.

The 23-year-old, who came through the ranks at Bayern Munich before his switch to Italy in 2022, scored 11 Serie A goals and set up five more last time around and that has been enough to see him crop up on United's radar. However, Roy, who has recently spent time working within the academy at Ajax, thinks a move this summer would be too soon for Zirkzee.

“Zirkzee, unlike Koopmeiners, is not yet ready for the big jump," Roy told TuttoJuve about the forward, who has been linked to Juventus and AC Milan, too. "He is still young, he needs another year at Bologna where he can score a lot.

"It would be important to test himself in the same team but with a different coach. Then he will think about what to do.”

On Bayern's Matthijs De Ligt, who has also been linked with a switch to Old Trafford, Roy added: "I read that Manchester United want him, but I don’t think he will leave. He’s much stronger than the defenders at Bayern today, I’ve seen him in the last few games and he didn’t look in bad shape. Return to Juve? No, he’s already been there. If he leaves, I see him in England or Spain.”

Lindelof 'expendable'

According to Teamtalk, United are willing to offload Victor Lindelof in order to free up the space needed to add to their back line this summer. The Red Devils have already been heavily linked with a move for Jarrad Branthwaite this summer, among others, and it would seem as though they see Lindelof as the man to make wat, with the club reportedly willing to accept bids of less than £10m.

The Sweden international is said to be attracting interest from Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce, with the former United boss being the man to sign him at Old Trafford, but the report claims there is also interest from Serie A. The 29-year-old has been with United since 2017, making 259 appearances and lifting both the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup.