Juventus Targets Zirkzee and Kolo Muani for Attack Rebuild
The rebuild of Juventus’ attack is starting to take shape – at speed.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee has given his initial green light to a summer move to Turin, with Juventus now pushing to turn that approval into a loan deal. Talks with his agent, Kia Joorabchian, are described as intense, as the club look to strike an agreement with United while the window is still in its early stretch.
Zirkzee is only one piece of a bigger plan. At the same time, the Bianconeri hierarchy are prioritising a move for Paris Saint-Germain striker Randal Kolo Muani, a signing viewed as central to a complete reshaping of their frontline.
Massara’s long pursuit
This is not a sudden whim. New football director Ricky Massara has admired Zirkzee for some time and tried to bring him to Roma in the winter window. That attempt failed, but the impression the Dutchman left clearly did not fade.
Now, with greater room to manoeuvre at Juventus, Massara is returning to a familiar target. Zirkzee’s profile – a modern, technically polished centre-forward who can link play and drift between the lines – is seen as an ideal fit for Luciano Spalletti’s positional game, which demands intelligence as much as intensity.
From Bologna star to Premier League frustration
The attraction is obvious. In Serie A with Bologna in 2023-24, Zirkzee delivered 12 goals and seven assists, driving one of the league’s most eye-catching stories. That season underlined his ability to influence games outside the box as much as inside it.
His Premier League chapter has been far less convincing. Since crossing to England, he has struggled to fully adapt and has never nailed down a permanent starting role, managing just 19 starts in 68 league appearances over the last two campaigns. For Juventus, that dip is not a deterrent but an opportunity: a talented forward in need of the right context and consistent minutes.
Urgency after Ekhator injury
The push is not only about long-term planning. It is also about necessity.
An injury to young Italian striker Jeff Ekhator has sharpened the club’s sense of urgency. Juventus need depth and variety in attack, and they need it quickly. Zirkzee is seen as one solution; Kolo Muani is the other.
While negotiations with 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 vision is clear: pair Zirkzee’s touch and creativity with Kolo Muani’s direct running and pace to create a far more unpredictable, explosive front line.
If both deals land, Spalletti would suddenly have an attack built to stretch defences vertically and unpick them in tight spaces.
Spalletti waits – and the clock ticks
For now, the coach waits. Spalletti is seeking clarity from the board on when these two headline moves can realistically be completed, conscious that every lost week of pre-season is a missed chance to embed new ideas and combinations.
Juventus know the calendar is unforgiving. Serie A opens with a potentially awkward away trip to newly-promoted Frosinone on 23 August, a fixture that can punish any lack of cohesion or sharpness.
By then, the question in Turin is simple: will Spalletti walk into that dressing room with the same old forward line, or with Zirkzee and Kolo Muani ready to launch a new era of the Bianconeri attack?
