Bayern Munich: Bologna set to win the race for Joshua Zirkzee
There is unlikely to be any major transfer activity at Bayern Munich in the final seven days of the transfer window. Die Roten will not be making any further new signings after their last bid for Konrad Laimer was rejected by RB Leipzig. The Austrian midfielder was the last transfer target for Rekordmeister in this transfer window.
Meanwhile, Bayern is working on deals to part ways with a couple of fringe players in the squad. Joshua Zirkzee is expected to be the next departure from the first team squad at Die Roten this summer as he is closing on a move back to Serie A.
According to Sky Sports in Germany and Sport1, Bologna is close to reaching an agreement with Bayern for the transfer of Joshua Zirkzee. The German Champions will be receiving a fee close to €8.5 million for the Dutch striker. Die Roten has a 50% sell-on clause in the deal, which will help them to get a significant fee in the future.
Zirkzee has already agreed personal terms with Bologna. The Dutch striker has been linked with numerous clubs throughout the summer, but Bologna has managed to beat the likes of Fulham, Stuttgart, and Augsburg by accelerating talks with Die Roten this week.
Update #Zirkzee: Last small details have to clarified. Everyone is convinced that Bologna is the right step. Last talks about the buyback-clause. A matching-right is in. Bayern will collect more than €100m in this window. Very important for the club. Good deals. @SkySportDE 🇳🇱 https://t.co/mAEZwV14DP
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) August 25, 2022
If things go as planned, Zirkzee will soon travel to Italy to complete the remaining details of the deal. The move to Bologna will be Zirkzee’s second stint in Serie A after an unsuccessful six-month loan spell with Parma in the second half of the 2020/21 campaign.
After a poor spell at Parma, Zirkzee bounced back during his loan spell at Anderlecht last year. The young forward ended up scoring more than 15 goals for the Belgian club across all competitions. Anderlecht was interested in signing him permanently, but Bologna has managed to move quickly to secure the deal.
Joshua Zirkzee was part of the Bayern squad during the pre-season tour. He was also in the squad for the first few games of the season but couldn’t get reasonable playing time. The Dutch forward was eager to get consistent playing time this season, so a move away from Bavaria was expected to take place late in the window.
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Zirkzee’s departure to Bologna will mean Bayern has earned close to €100 million from sales this season. It is a great bit of business done by Rekordmeister to build a competitive squad. After the departure of Zirkzee, Bayern will try to secure an exit for Bouna Sarr. The Senegalese defender is unlikely to get playing time this season under Julian Nagelsmann, so a move away from Bavaria will benefit all parties.