Manchester United agree £35.3m deal for Bologna’s Joshua Zirkzee

Manchester United have agreed a fee of about €42m (£35.3m) for Bologna’s Joshua Zirkzee, with the forward set to become the first signing of the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era. The player’s terms and his agent’s fee are agreed so the 23-year-old’s arrival may be confirmed soon.

The price is more than the Dutchman’s €40m release clause but whereas the release clause had to be paid in a single sum, United can pay the €42m over three years, allowing the club more flexibility in the market.

Erik ten Hag, the United manager, wants Zirkzee to offer competition to Rasmus Højlund at centre-forward. Zirkzee is 6ft 3in, began his professional career at Bayern Munich and played 17 times for them in three seasons, during which he was loaned to Parma and Anderlecht, before moving to Bologna in August 2022.

Zirkzee made his Netherlands debut in Saturday’s 2-1 Euro 2024 quarter-final win over Turkey as an 87th-minute substitute, and was an 89th-minute replacement in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to England in the semi-final.

Donny van de Beek has departed United, joining Girona on a three-year contract for €500,000, in a deal that could rise to €9.1m euros, plus a sizeable share of any sell-on fee. The Dutch playmaker signed for United from Ajax for an initial £37.4m in September 2020 but never established himself, scoring two goals in 62 appearances.

Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake have joined United as assistant managers to Ten Hag, each contracted until 2026, with Benni McCarthy and Mitchell van der Gaag leaving.

Ten Hag said: “Now is a good time to refresh the coaching team as we look to build on the achievements of the past two years and push to the next level. Mitchell, he has decided that now is the right time for him to pursue his own ambitions in a No 1 position. I want to pay tribute to his fantastic service over the past two years, and also to Benni for his important contributions.”

Van Nistelrooy, who was head coach of PSV Eindhoven for all but one Eredivise game of the 2022-23 term, made 219 appearances and scored 150 goals for United from 2001-06. Hake has held six coaching positions in Dutch football, joining United from Go Ahead Eagles, whom he had led since 2022.