Manchester United Eye Igor Matanovic as Zirkzee's Future Uncertain
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.
The club’s summer so far has been built around the midfield. INEOS moved early and decisively there: Carlos Baleba from Brighton, Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Andrey Santos from Chelsea have all arrived to reshape the centre of the pitch. Karl Darlow has come in as back-up goalkeeper on a free, while highly rated Tottenham youngster Tynan Thompson cost around £8m.
The spine has been reinforced. The edges of the squad, less so.
United have been linked with a left-back, a left-winger and a striker before the window closes, but those close to the club are clear: left-back is the current priority. Even so, the entire attacking plan could flip in an instant if Zirkzee walks.
Zirkzee domino could trigger Matanovic move
Ben Jacobs has made it clear that INEOS are ready to act at centre-forward if Zirkzee leaves in the final stretch of the window. United, he says, are “alert” to bringing in a new No. 9, with interest in Zirkzee coming from both the Premier League and Serie A.
That interest is now hardening into something more concrete. With Como closing in on Moise Kean, Fiorentina have moved into ‘advanced talks’ with United over Zirkzee, according to Fabrizio Romano. If that deal reaches the finish line, it rips a hole straight through United’s attacking plans – and opens the door for a new striker.
That is where Igor Matanovic steps in.
The Thursday print edition of Gazzetta dello Sport, relayed by Sport Witness, reports that Fiorentina are also looking at the Freiburg forward. The Italian side face a “difficult but not impossible” task to land him, not least because Manchester United and Tottenham have joined the chase.
Matanovic, who hit 11 Bundesliga goals last season, is being talked about in Croatia as the heir to Mario Mandzukic – a serious tag for a 21-year-old leading the line in Germany. His profile has caught the eye across Europe, and the battle for his signature is tightening.
The picture is starting to shift. Omar Marmoush is on his way to Tottenham, Fiorentina are pushing hard for Zirkzee, and that sequence could leave United with a clear run at Matanovic if they decide to act.
The question is whether they pull the trigger now or ride out the season with what they have.
Left-back hunt: Balde, loans and the long game for Lewis Hall
While the striker situation threatens to erupt late in the window, United’s most active search remains at left-back.
Jacobs has outlined how the club are approaching that role. Alejandro Balde has been offered around, with Barcelona understood to be open to an exit at around €45m. On paper, that’s a marquee solution. In practice, United are reluctant to commit to a permanent deal of that size.
The preference from Old Trafford is clear: a loan, ideally with an option to buy. That structure would give them room to manoeuvre in 2027, when they hope to make a serious push for their long-term top target, Lewis Hall.
Hall is not thought to be available this late in the window, which leaves United with a strategic dilemma. Do they bring in a left-back now on a short-term basis, accept a stopgap, and protect their chances of landing Hall down the line? Or do they gamble, trust internal options and wait for the right man rather than the right-now man?
Balde remains one to watch, but nothing has moved forward. Other names have been floated to United, including Jorge Salinas and David Raum, as potential alternatives on the left.
The clock is ticking. A Zirkzee sale could force United into the striker market and fast-track a move for Matanovic. A breakthrough with Barcelona or another club could reshape the defence.
For INEOS and Manchester United, these final days of the window are no longer about volume of signings. They are about getting two critical calls right: who replaces Zirkzee if he goes – and who locks down that left flank for the next era at Old Trafford.
