Manchester United have secured their first signing of the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era by finalising a €42.5m agreement for the Netherlands forward Joshua Zirkzee.
The 23-year-old has been acquired from Bologna after United opted to surpass his €40m release clause, arranging the payments over a span of three years. Due to a sell-on clause in place, Bayern Munich will receive 50 per cent of the fee.
Zirkzee has signed a five-year contract at Old Trafford and becomes the initial arrival in United’s summer overhaul attempt.
They chose him over Jonathan David and Ivan Toney, who were also part of the shortlist for the striker position as United sought an alternative to Rasmus Hojlund. With Anthony Martial departing, they had only one primary striker in the squad, along with versatile players like Marcus Rashford.
Zirkzee, who scored 12 goals last season to help Bologna qualify for the Champions League, said: “Having had discussions with the manager and the leaders of the club I know how exciting the future is going to be here and I cannot wait to play my part in achieving success for Manchester United.
“I am a player who has always dedicated everything to winning; I’m ready for this next challenge, to go to another level in my career and win more trophies. It is a privilege to join such an iconic club.”
United have a new recruitment team including sporting director Dan Ashworth, technical director Jason Wilcox and head of recruitment Christopher Vivell.
And Ashworth said: “Securing a forward to enhance our already strong group of attacking players was a key aim for this summer. We are delighted that we’ve managed to sign a player of Joshua’s calibre this early in the transfer window.
“Joshua is an outstanding talent who is ready to make an impact for Manchester United. His ability and desire to grow into a world-class player means that he will be a great addition to the squad that we are building for the exciting season ahead and beyond.
“Having already achieved a significant amount in his career, we will provide Joshua with the perfect platform to reach the next level under the guidance and support of Erik ten Hag and the coaching staff. We look forward to seeing Joshua thrive at Old Trafford over the coming years.”
