There is plenty of transfer activity taking place at Manchester United and the club are starting to weigh up offloading players deemed surplus to requirements.

United are in the midst of rebuilding Michael Carrick’s midfield following Casemiro’s departure. Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans have arrived, and the transfer chiefs are reportedly eyeing AS Roma’s Manu Kone.

There is also thought to be a desire to add a new striker to Carrick’s squad ahead of the new season. Benjamin Sesko is still nursing a long-term shin problem and Joshua Zirkzee has been disappointing throughout his Old Trafford spell.

Juventus Want to Sign Zirkzee

Zirkzee’s future is in doubt amid a difficult past season which saw him manage just two goals in 24 league outings. The Dutch attacker arrived from Bologna in the summer of 2024 after catching the eye in Serie A.

There remains admiration from Italy for Zirkzee, and Juventus are one of the clubs reportedly eyeing the 25-year-old. A report from Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport claims they have made an inquiry and that the player isn’t deemed untouchable.

The Red Devils have set an asking price of around £29.7- £34 million (€35-40 million) and the Old Lady could swoop. Dusan Vlahovic’s exit and Jonathan David’s disappointing form has forced the Italians to explore the market for a new centre-forward

One issue Juve might have is Zirkzee’s “significant salary”, which is said to be €4 million per year. They have swooped for Randal Kolo-Muani but clearly want another forward with the versatility of the Dutchman, who had been previously dubbed a “baller.”

Zirkzee’s Time at United is Up

It’s been somewhat of a nightmare for Zirkzee since joining United, as he has struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League. Branded an “imposter”, unconvincing displays and a poor goalscoring record should almost certainly lead to a sale.

While you can’t fault the player’s attitude, he hasn’t lived up to expectations, and a return to Serie A could be best for all parties. But Carrick must be handed a replacement, and that needs to be a reliable goalscorer who can offer backup to Sesko.

United have a shoddy track record of selling players, and INEOS can correct this by raising a reasonable fee for Zirkzee. Anything over £30m would be somewhat of a success, although they would still be making a loss.

Tottenham are about to bank a transfer windfall as they look to balance their summer spending at least a little. Spurs have been the Premier League’s biggest spenders so far this summer, splashing out more than £235million to improve their squad so far, and there is still more to come.

Jan Paul van Hecke, Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes followed a few smart signings early in the window, and Roberto De Zerbi can already look forward to calling upon a much stronger squad next season. De Zerbi will be expected to lead Tottenham into Europe given the level of spending, and an attacking signing or two is still likely before the end of the window.

Tottenham close to sealing significant cash boost

via Reuters

Spurs have the space to spend this summer as far as Profit and Sustainability Rules are concerned, but it is a wise idea to balance the spending where possible to prevent future spending being restricted. Sales are expected this summer, with Cristian Romero and Guglielmo Vicario expected to leave, while Lucas Bergvall is also being linked with an exit. Luka Vuskovic has already left on a big-money move to Brighton.

The next to leave looks to be 21-year-old striker Will Lankshear, who now looks set to join Middlesbrough. Fabrizio Romano posted on X: “Will Lankshear leaves Tottenham and joins Middlesbrough, medical today and all sealed between clubs. Permanent move from #THFC, as @AlasdairGold reported.”

Lankshear joined Spurs for around £2million from Sheffield United, and Alasdair Gold now suggests Boro are paying £14million that could rise to £20million, banking Spurs a huge profit whether those add-ons are ultimately activated or not.

Lankshear spent last season on loan with Oxford United, where he will have caught Boro’s attention, scoring 11 times.

Lankshear could ‘go to the top’

Lankshear did get some opportunities for Spurs under Angie Postecoglou, who said after his debut: “Will was good. We kind of brought him in this last week. He’s looked bright in training. He worked hard. He’s had a very good year last year and it’s about rewarding him for that. It’s about coming on and making an impact. He did well and he took his goal well.”

Oxford boss Matt Bloomfield said last season that Lankshear could ‘go to the top’ after he impressed in the Championship despite his youth. He said after one game: “That’s Will – one between the posts, and one from outside the box. He’s got such a strong side-foot finish.

“I’ve seen him do that curler one where he just bends it multiple times on the training ground and probably the biggest surprise is that it’s taken until today for one to come out in a game. His finishing, dedication to his craft and single-minded desire to be the best he can be, I think he’s a credit to himself. There’s so much to admire about him, and he’s going to go to the top.”