Fiorentina Pursues Zirkzee as Kean Departure Looms
Fiorentina are moving quickly. With Moise Kean edging towards Como, the Tuscan club know they cannot let the window close without a replacement lined up – and Joshua Zirkzee has jumped near the top of their list.
Kean out, striker hunt on
Kean is closing in on an imminent switch to Como, a move that will leave Vincenzo Italiano short of a central forward. The response from the Viola hierarchy has been clear: act fast, scan the market, and find a starter-level No 9.
Two names have emerged. Beto and Joshua Zirkzee. Same position, very different profiles, and crucially, very different costs.
Zirkzee the favourite, but United’s price bites
Reports in Italy indicate Fiorentina view Zirkzee as the ideal option. Younger, technically refined, and already proven in Serie A from his Bologna spell, he fits the stylistic blueprint.
The problem is Manchester United’s valuation.
Claims relayed by Sport Witness suggest United want around £25–30 million for the Dutchman. For Fiorentina, that figure changes the entire equation. At that price, Zirkzee becomes a luxury, not a necessity.
Beto, by contrast, is thought to be available for roughly £21.4–25m and would command significantly lower wages. On a balance sheet, the Portuguese forward looks far more accessible.
The numbers underline the dilemma. Beto, three years older than Zirkzee, has produced 20 goals and one assist in 98 Premier League appearances. Zirkzee, since arriving in England in 2024, has five goals and three assists from 56 games. One offers a larger sample of top-flight output, the other offers upside and familiarity with Italian football.
Reduced role, rising speculation
The uncertainty around Zirkzee’s future has only grown in recent days.
Michael Carrick left him out of Manchester United’s Premier League opener away to Hull City last Saturday. One game does not define a season, but an omission like that, amid transfer noise, inevitably fuels talk of a move.
Zirkzee has already endured a heavily reduced role over the past year. United’s absence from European competition and early exits from domestic cups cut his minutes even further, leaving him on the fringes rather than at the heart of Carrick’s plans.
Champions League qualification this season should, in theory, open up more opportunities. More matches, more rotation, more chances. Yet even that comes with a caveat. Marcus Rashford has been reintegrated and can play across the entire front line, adding another major obstacle to Zirkzee’s path.
For a 23-year-old forward, that kind of logjam can quickly turn a promising project into a stalled career.
Juventus lurking as Fiorentina weigh the risk
Fiorentina’s calculations are not only financial. They are also strategic.
The club know they are not alone. Serie A rivals Juventus are pushing to bring Zirkzee back to Italy after his impressive two-year stint at Bologna, and the player has already told the Old Lady he would be open to a return.
That changes the landscape. Any move from Florence must be decisive, and it must come with the acceptance that they are competing with a domestic giant who can offer both wages and Champions League football at the very top end.
So Fiorentina stand at a crossroads. Pay over the odds to chase the higher ceiling in Zirkzee and risk being blown out of the water by Juventus, or pivot to the more affordable Beto and lock in a reliable, if less glamorous, option.
With Kean on the way out and the season already under way, how bold are La Viola prepared to be?
