Fiorentina Pursues Joshua Zirkzee Amid Moise Kean Exit

Fiorentina have joined the chase for Joshua Zirkzee as they brace for Moise Kean’s exit – but Manchester United’s price tag threatens to shut the door before talks can even begin.

Kean out, replacement needed

Kean is closing in on a move to Como, a deal that will leave La Viola short in attack unless they act quickly before the window closes. The plan is clear: one forward out, another in.

On the recruitment board, two names are circled in red ink – Beto and Zirkzee. Fiorentina like both. They prefer Zirkzee.

That’s where the problems start.

United’s demands put Zirkzee out of reach

Reports relayed by Sport Witness claim Manchester United want around £25–30 million for Zirkzee. For Fiorentina, that figure is heavy, bordering on prohibitive, especially when set against the alternative.

Beto is expected to be available for roughly £21.4–25m and on significantly lower wages. On paper, the numbers lean firmly towards the Portuguese striker.

There is also the question of output. Beto, three years older than Zirkzee, has produced 20 goals and one assist in 98 Premier League appearances. Zirkzee, who only arrived in England in 2024, has managed five goals and three assists in 56 games. One is a known, physical presence with a decent return over a longer sample size; the other is a younger, more technical profile still trying to turn promise into end product at the top level.

For a club like Fiorentina, the calculation is brutal: upside versus affordability.

Zirkzee stuck on the fringes at United

The forward’s situation at Old Trafford only fuels the speculation. Michael Carrick left Zirkzee out of United’s season opener away to Hull City last Saturday, a decision that sharpened the focus on his future.

Zirkzee has already endured a heavily reduced role over the past year. United’s absence from European competition and early exits from domestic cups stripped away valuable minutes, leaving him on the periphery.

Champions League qualification this season should, in theory, open more doors. More games, more rotation, more chances. Yet even that comes with a catch. Marcus Rashford has been reintegrated and can play across the frontline, adding another layer of competition in every attacking slot Zirkzee might hope to occupy.

So he waits. For clarity. For a concrete proposal. For someone to make the numbers work.

Juventus lurking in the background

Fiorentina also know they are not alone. Serie A rivals Juventus are keen to bring Zirkzee back to Italy after his impressive two-year spell with Bologna. The forward has already informed the Turin club he would be open to a return.

That admission adds a political edge to Fiorentina’s interest. To tempt Zirkzee away from a club of Juventus’ stature, they would almost certainly need a clean, compelling package – both sporting and financial.

Right now, United’s valuation and the player’s wage level make that a delicate, perhaps unrealistic, balancing act.

So Fiorentina stand at a crossroads: push hard for the talent they truly want and risk being priced out, or pivot to Beto, the more attainable option who ticks the boxes without quite lighting up the imagination.