Man United are ‘offered £62m Juventus star in shock swap deal for Joshua Zirkzee’ – just six months after he signed from Bologna for £36.5m

Manchester United have reportedly been offered Juventus’ top scorer from the last three seasons in exchange for Joshua Zirkzee. 

The Italian giants appear willing to hand over 24-year-old Dusan Vlahovic – who they signed for £62million from Fiorentina in January 2022 – for four-goal man Zirkzee. 

Zirkzee has had a tough start at Old Trafford since signing from Bologna for £36.5m and was reportedly reduced to tears after being sarcastically cheered off by United fans just 33 minutes into their 2-0 loss to Newcastle last week.

Manager Ruben Amorim said his forward was ‘suffering’ in the wake of that low-point, but he could be given a route back to Italy, where he thrived with Bologna. 

TalkSPORT reports that Juventus have offered Vlahovic as part of a swap deal, with the forward’s contract up in 18 months ‘time. 

Juventus would seemingly rather trade out one of their prized asset for the 23-year-old than lose him for free in the summer of 2026.

Zirkzee has had a difficult time since joining the Red Devils in the summer, scoring four goals

Vlahovic tops Juventus’ scoring charts for the third consecucutive season, having hit 12 goals

Vlahovic has scored 12 goals in 23 games this season and is well on the way to beating his impressive tally of 18 from last campaign. 

However, he also ranks second in Serie A for big chances missed (12) and is perceived as contributing in a limited capacity beyond his goals, in a similar way to Erling Haaland at Manchester City. 

Part of the reason for his potential offloading is that he is not seen to fit manager Thiago Motta’s playing style. 

Vlahovic reportedly earns just short of £10m per year at Juventus and they are not willing to match that pay in a new deal, though they do want to hand him a longer contract, as per la Repubblica. 

Earlier this season he got into a conflict with one section of the Juventus fan base when they insulted him after a 2-2 home draw with Venezia and he reacted angrily. 

However, he made an effort to calm the tensions, writing on Instagram: ‘I understand the frustration for the latest results, and you have all the rights to express it.

‘I’ve always respected you by giving my all for the shirt, and I thank you for the support you support us daily. Now it’s important to stick together to support the team and start again, united.’

The Serbian international has had interest from the Premier League before, having been linked with Chelsea and Arsenal.