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29 August 2026

Atletico Madrid have reportedly taken a call on Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee as the transfer window moves towards its deadline.

Zirkzee is appearing more and more likely to leave United in the next few days because of his difficulty in getting regular minutes.

The Netherlands international has struggled to get game time under Michael Carrick, who has shown a clear preference for Benjamin Sesko. On some occasions, Carrick has even used players such as Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo in attack ahead of Zirkzee.

The return of Marcus Rashford is only expected to push Zirkzee even lower in the pecking order.

A move back to Italy has been discussed for Zirkzee, with Fiorentina emerging as the most likely destination. A previous report stated that Fiorentina submitted a £34 million bid for the forward.

More recently, it was reported that Fiorentina want to sign Zirkzee on an initial loan worth around £4 million to £5 million. A purchase option would then become compulsory if certain conditions are fulfilled.

United have still not approved Zirkzee’s departure to complete that move. It is understood that the player is open to joining Fiorentina.

However, Atletico Madrid have now surfaced as another possible destination.

According to the Daily Mail, Zirkzee is being considered by Atletico as a possible replacement for Julian Alvarez.

The Alvarez story has dominated the headlines in recent weeks. He missed training this week as he tries to force through a move to Barcelona. Atletico have publicly made it clear that under no circumstances will the Argentina international be allowed to join the Blaugrana.

Arsenal are also interested in Alvarez, who has until Sunday to agree a move to the Gunners or stay at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

Simon Jones writes, “Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee is on Atletico Madrid’s radar as they anticipate a late bid from Arsenal for Julian Alvarez.”

“Zirkzee has an offer from Fiorentina, while Juventus and Napoli are interested and some Premier League clubs are also weighing up late offers.”

United are next in action on Sunday when they welcome Ipswich Town.

The Peoples Person Reliability Assessment Overall credibility: 8/10 Why?

✅ Reported by a solid source for Manchester United transfer news. ✅ Zirkzee is likely to leave Manchester United before the transfer window closes. ✅ The Julian Alvarez situation could force Atletico Madrid to enter the market for a striker, which may open the door to a move for Zirkzee.

We believe Atletico could make a move for Zirkzee, but it depends almost entirely on what happens with Alvarez before the transfer window shuts.