Juventus Targets Zirkzee and Kolo Muani for Attack Rebuild

Joshua Zirkzee has given the green light to a Juventus move, and the club have wasted no time trying to turn that approval into a concrete deal.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Manchester United forward has signalled his willingness to join the Turin side this summer, with Juventus now locked in intensive talks with his agent, Kia Joorabchian, over a loan move. The Bianconeri see the Dutchman as a key piece in a rapid rebuild of their attack.

At the same time, the club’s hierarchy is pushing hard for Paris Saint-Germain’s Randal Kolo Muani. The plan is clear: reshape the frontline in one window, with two very different but complementary forwards.

Massara’s long chase

Zirkzee has been on Ricky Massara’s radar for some time. The new football director tried to bring him to Roma in the winter window and has now revived that interest in Turin. This is not an opportunistic move; it is a long-held conviction.

The numbers from his Bologna spell explain why. In Serie A in 2023-24, Zirkzee produced 12 goals and seven assists, a blend of end product and link-up play that made him one of the most intriguing forwards in Italy. Since his switch to the Premier League, though, his career has stalled. Just 19 starts in 68 league appearances over the past two seasons underline a player who never fully settled or secured a regular role.

Juventus believe that can change under Luciano Spalletti. Zirkzee’s profile – a modern, technically refined forward who can drop deep, combine and create – is viewed inside the club as an ideal fit for the coach’s positional play and fluid attacking patterns.

Urgency after Ekhator injury

This is not just about long-term planning. It is about necessity.

An injury to young Italian striker Jeff Ekhator has stripped Juventus of depth and forced the club into an aggressive stance on the market. They need bodies. More than that, they need quality.

While negotiations with Manchester United over a loan for Zirkzee continue, CEO Giovanni Carnevali is, according to Gazzetta, working to close a €40 million deal with PSG for Kolo Muani. The French forward would add direct running and speed in behind, a sharp contrast to Zirkzee’s more measured, technical game.

Inside the club, there is confidence that pairing Zirkzee’s finesse with Kolo Muani’s pace would give Spalletti a far more dynamic, unpredictable attack than last season’s often blunt frontline.

Spalletti waits – and the clock is ticking

Spalletti now waits for clarity. The head coach needs to know when – not if – these deals will be completed so he can shape his pre-season around them. Juventus want their core squad in place early, to allow new signings time to absorb Spalletti’s demands on and off the ball.

The calendar offers no mercy. Juventus open their Serie A campaign away to newly-promoted Frosinone on August 23, a fixture that looks straightforward on paper but arrives at a delicate moment in the club’s rebuild.

By then, the question will be simple: will Spalletti walk into that dressing room with Zirkzee and Kolo Muani at his disposal, or will Juventus enter another season still chasing the attack they have been planning on paper?