Arsenal to rival Manchester United for Joshua Zirkzee?

Arsenal are reportedly considering a move for Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee, with the Gunners potentially battling Premier League rivals Manchester United for his signature.

There is currently speculation surrounding the 22-year-old's future, as he has been in strong form for his Italian club during the 2023-24 campaign.

Zirkzee has managed eight goals and four assists in 22 appearances in all competitions, including seven goals and two assists in 19 outings in the top flight of Italian football.

A recent report claimed that Man United were interested in the Netherlands international, with Erik ten Hag's side currently short in the final third of the field.

According to The Telegraph, Arsenal are also keen on Zirkzee, but the North London outfit accept that a mid-season move for the centre-forward would be complicated.

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The report claims that Bologna would not consider offers of under £50m, while the Italian club's director Marco Di Vaio recently said that the forward would not be leaving in January.

There have also been suggestions of a €40m (£35m) release clause, but Di Vaio said it only applies to Bayern Munich, who sold him to Bologna in the summer of 2022.

"The release clause is only valid for Bayern, and in January our top players will not move," Di Vaio told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "How many phone calls have we received? None. And we wouldn't answer anyway."

Zirkzee represented Bayern's first team between 2019 and 2022, but he only managed four goals in 17 appearances for the Bundesliga giants before leaving for Bologna after an impressive loan spell at Anderlecht, where he scored 18 times during the 2021-22 campaign.

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Arsenal had seemingly identified Brentford's Ivan Toney as their leading January target, but it now seems extremely likely that the Englishman will remain with the Bees until the summer.

The London club's lack of cutting edge in the final third has been on display in recent matches, with Mikel Arteta's side losing each of their last three games against West Ham United, Fulham and Liverpool.

Just one win from their last five Premier League matches has seen them drop into fourth spot in the table, while they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Liverpool last weekend.

No player has reached double figures in terms of goals for Arsenal this season, with Bukayo Saka the closest on nine, while Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah have seven and six respectively in 2023-24.

The Gunners will be bidding to return to winning ways when they resume their Premier League campaign at home to Crystal Palace on January 20.