Inter Milan set their sights on shock deal for Manchester United forward

Inter Milan have begun internal discussions over a possible loan move for Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee.

Zirkzee arrived at Old Trafford with weighty expectations on his shoulders following a high-profile £36.5million switch from Bologna last summer.

The 23-year-old was considered one of the most promising young attackers in Italian football, but has flattered to deceive across a largely underwhelming – albeit injury-hit – debut season with United.

Juventus expressed a strong interest over proposed deal in the winter, but Ruben Amorim made it clear he wanted to keep hold of Zirkzee for the second half of the campaign and the Dutchman stayed put.

But Zirkzee failed to score a single league goal between the January transfer deadline and his injury blow last month – and there is a growing acceptance within United’s hierarchy that the move has not worked.

According to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, Champions League finalists Inter are on the hunt for an alternative to Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram – and their ‘sights are set’ on Zirkzee.

The Serie A giants have made signing a forward their ‘absolute priority’ for the summer and with this in mind, they have ‘opened a file’ over a possible temporary deal for the United man.

It’s claimed ‘there is room for negotiation’ with United given Zirkzee’s obvious struggles over the course of the season and Inter’s idea is to propose a loan agreement with an option to buy which, under certain conditions, could become an obligation.

Inter are confident the Netherlands international can rediscover the ‘technical quality, creativity and physicality’ that he showed during his previous stint in Italy with Bologna.

The report suggests Zirkzee will be desperate to ‘relaunch himself’ and the prospect of joining the potential European champions may be too good an opportunity to turn down for the Dutchman, especially if United miss out on Champions League qualification.

Napoli’s Giacomo Raspadori and Parma’s Ange-Yoan Bonny are also on Inter’s shortlist of targets for their attack.

Zirkzee’s current contract at the Theatre of Dreams runs through to June 2029.

Eyebrows were raised as Amorim singled Zirkzee out for criticism after his opening game in charge of the Red Devils against Ipswich back in November.

But before Zirkzee’s season was brought to a premature halt, the United head coach said he was pleased with the goal-shy attacker’s general development.

‘I think he’s improving in a lot of aspects,’ Amorim told reporters.

‘I think he needs to be more selfish, and that is a thing when you play as a striker. He’s not a typical striker, but he has to be more selfish.

‘He’s more aggressive now, he works better now, he’s defending better now, he’s connecting quite well.’

Amorim added: ‘He played as a striker in some games, especially against Arsenal he did really, really well.

‘Then in some games, against Real Sociedad, he played as a 10, so he can adapt to different situations. So, I see that Josh is improving and showing good things.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.