Bologna FC is not prepared to voluntarily cooperate with the departure of Joshua Zirkzee this winter, technical director Marco Di Vaio said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport. The Italian calls the 22-year-old striker a 'unique case' and also confirms that Bayern Munich can bring him back through a clause. Zirkzee will be stationed in Bologna until mid-2026.
Bologna took over Zirkzee from Bayern for 8.5 million euros in the summer of 2022. After a difficult debut year, the Schieda native is going all out this season with the surprising number four of the Serie A. In nineteen official matches, Zirkzee was good for eight goals and four assists.
Zirkzee will remain in Bologna, is Di Vaio's clear position. “We have not yet received a call about Zirkzee, but we would not answer either. We can ask clubs whatever we want.” Transfer market estimates Zirkzee's value at around 30 million euros, but Bologna will do everything they can to keep the nineteen-time international of the Dutch Juniors.
Yet Bayern can throw a spanner in the works. The German record champion can probably buy Zirkzee back from Bologna for around 22 million euros. In the meantime, the Italian club would focus on a sale to another European superpower in order to increase the transfer fee as high as possible.
Italian media think that Bologna will settle for around 40 million euros for Zirkzee next summer, who can count on nice words from Di Vaio. “Joshua is a 9.5. He cannot be compared with any other player, because he is a unique case.” Zirkzee enjoyed part of his youth training at ADO Den Haag and Feyenoord, before moving abroad in the summer of 2017.
With Bayern, Zirkzee won the Bundesliga (twice), Champions League, European Super Cup, DFB Cup and German Super Cup (twice). In total he played only seventeen official matches in the main squad der Rekordmeister, in which he found the net four times. Zirkzee also acted as a one-off declarant.
Zirkzee is not the only talented footballer in his family. His brother Jordan is a striker for Bayern Leverkusen Under 19, while cousin Nelson Amadin plays in the second team of Schalke 04. Zirkzee himself hopes to be active in Germany at the European Championships with the Dutch team this summer, although he is still waiting for his first call-up for the Dutch national team.
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