Manchester United are reportedly lining up a deal for Joshua Zirkzee similar to the one that took Marcus Rashford to Barcelona last summer.
Zirkzee's future at Old Trafford has been the subject of intense speculation, with continued rumours that a departure could be on the cards. The Netherlands international made just 26 appearances last season, starting only five Premier League games under Ruben Amorim and Michael Carrick.
United spent last summer investing in their forward line, bringing in Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha. Zirkzee's game time was mostly restricted to substitute appearances last term, which has now led to rumours that he could leave this summer.
Juventus linked with loan move
Italian news outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport has reported that Juventus are interested in signing Zirkzee this summer, but only on a loan basis. The Serie A club are said to be looking at a season-long loan with an option to buy at the end of the campaign.
The report does not state the fee that would be involved if United were to sell Zirkzee, but it has been claimed that the agreement would be similar to the one that saw Rashford move to Barcelona last summer. Separate reports have suggested United would look for a fee between €35 million (£30 million) and €40 million (£34.2 million).
Rashford's Barcelona precedent
Rashford joined the La Liga giants 12 months ago on loan with an option to make the move permanent for £26 million. Barcelona chose not to sign him permanently despite his 14 goals at the Camp Nou, and instead signed Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi.
Juventus and United are reportedly hopeful of agreeing a deal to take Zirkzee to Turin before the end of the month. United have until September 1 to complete their transfer business, having already made three signings this summer: Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Karl Darlow.
