Manchester United Eye Igor Matanovic Amid Zirkzee Uncertainty
Manchester United are weighing up a late move for Freiburg striker Igor Matanovic as uncertainty grows around Joshua Zirkzee’s future at Old Trafford, with Tottenham and Fiorentina also circling.
This was supposed to be the summer United fixed their midfield. They largely have. Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos have arrived from Brighton, Aston Villa and Chelsea to reshape the engine room. Karl Darlow has come in on a free to back up in goal, while highly rated Tottenham youngster Tynan Thompson has joined in a deal worth around £8m.
The squad looks different. It does not yet look complete.
Zirkzee cloud hangs over United’s No. 9 plans
United’s hierarchy, now operating under the INEOS regime, had made it clear: midfield first, everything else second. A left-back, a left-winger and a striker were all discussed as potential late-window additions, but left-back has been viewed as the likeliest area for reinforcement.
That plan is being tested by the situation around Zirkzee.
Ben Jacobs has reported that United are “alert” to the need for a new centre-forward if the Dutchman leaves, with clubs in both the Premier League and Serie A pushing to tempt him away. INEOS are ready to sanction a move for a striker, but only if Zirkzee goes. If they cannot line up a replacement, they are prepared to block an exit.
The clock, and Fiorentina, are applying pressure. With Como closing in on Moise Kean, Fiorentina have moved into what Fabrizio Romano has described as “advanced talks” to sign Zirkzee from United. The Italian club are not just hedging their bets; they are building an attack, and they want options.
One of those options is Igor Matanovic.
Matanovic: the Mandzukic heir now on Premier League radar
Thursday’s print edition of Gazzetta dello Sport, relayed by Sport Witness, detailed Fiorentina’s interest in the Freiburg striker, describing a move for the Croatian as “difficult but not impossible” for the Serie A side.
The difficulty has a name: the Premier League.
Manchester United and Tottenham have both joined the race for Matanovic after his breakout campaign in the Bundesliga, where he scored 11 league goals last season. In Croatia, he is already being spoken of as the “heir to Mario Mandzukic” – a powerful, direct forward with a penalty-box edge that appeals to English clubs still drawn to a traditional No. 9 profile.
The dynamics of the market may now hand United a clearer route. Omar Marmoush is on his way to Tottenham, tightening their attacking options and potentially cooling their push for Matanovic. Fiorentina, meanwhile, are focusing hard on Zirkzee.
If Zirkzee does go, the path opens. United would need a replacement, Fiorentina would be occupied, and Matanovic would be there, a ready-made target with Bundesliga goals behind him and Premier League interest in front of him.
Left-back puzzle: Balde now, Hall later?
While the striker situation threatens to erupt in the final days of the window, United’s left-back search continues in the background, quietly shaping the long-term squad plan.
Jacobs has outlined the club’s thinking. Alejandro Balde has been offered around, with Barcelona understood to be open to a sale at around €45m. On paper, it is the kind of move that would grab headlines: a young, high-upside full-back from one of Europe’s giants.
United’s stance is more cautious. They are believed to prefer a loan, ideally with an option to buy, rather than committing to an outright permanent deal. The reason sits a little further down the road: 2027.
That is the year United want the freedom to go all-in on what they see as their top long-term target at left-back – Lewis Hall. Hall is not thought to be available this late in the current window, which leaves United in a familiar dilemma: act now with a compromise, or wait for the player they really want.
They are weighing whether to bring in a stopgap this summer and return for Hall next year, or to push harder on a more substantial signing like Balde if the right structure can be agreed. Jorge Salinas and David Raum have also been offered as options, but as things stand, nothing has advanced.
So United sit at a crossroads on two fronts. At left-back, they are trying to balance the present with a carefully plotted future. Up front, they may soon be forced into a decision by events outside their control.
If Zirkzee walks out and Matanovic is still on the market, do they hesitate—or do they move like a club that finally knows exactly what kind of striker it wants to lead the next era at Old Trafford?
