Manchester United Eye Igor Matanovic Amid Zirkzee Uncertainty

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 in the frame.

INEOS went into this window with a clear plan: fix the midfield. They’ve done that. Carlos Baleba from Brighton, Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Andrey Santos from Chelsea have all arrived to reshape the centre of the pitch. A back-up goalkeeper, Karl Darlow, has come in on a free, while 18-year-old Tottenham prospect Tynan Thompson joined in a deal worth around £8m.

The spine has been reinforced. The squad looks deeper. But the market hasn’t closed its grip on United just yet.

Zirkzee exit could trigger striker scramble

For weeks, the noise around Old Trafford has been about a left-back, a left-winger and a possible striker. Of those, left-back remains the most realistic late addition. Yet the forward situation refuses to sit quietly.

The key domino is Zirkzee.

Ben Jacobs has made it clear that INEOS will only press the button on a new No. 9 if Zirkzee goes in the final stretch of the window. Speaking to Betway Insider, Jacobs described United as “alert” to a striker move, but only on that condition. If they can’t replace him, they simply won’t sign off on his sale.

That safety net is being tested.

With Como closing in on Moise Kean, Fiorentina have stepped up their pursuit of Zirkzee and are now in what Fabrizio Romano describes as “advanced talks” to take the Netherlands international to Serie A. If that deal lands, United’s attack suddenly looks light again – and that’s where Matanovic comes in.

Matanovic: Croatia’s ‘heir to Mandzukic’ on Premier League radar

Fiorentina’s recruitment team haven’t stopped at Zirkzee. Thursday’s print edition of Gazzetta dello Sport, relayed by Sport Witness, reports that they also have Freiburg’s Igor Matanovic on their list. The Italian paper calls a move “difficult but not impossible” for the Serie A club.

The problem for Fiorentina is the competition.

Manchester United and Tottenham have both joined the chase for the 21-year-old, who hit 11 Bundesliga goals last season and is already being talked about in Croatia as the “heir to Mario Mandzukic”. That kind of billing tends to attract English eyes, and this is no different.

The picture is starting to shift. With Omar Marmoush now heading towards Tottenham and Fiorentina pushing hard for Zirkzee, United could find a clearer path to Matanovic if they choose to walk it. The question is whether INEOS are prepared to turn interest into action in the final days of the window.

Left-back hunt: Balde, loans and a long game for Lewis Hall

While the striker situation hinges on Zirkzee, the left-back search is more straightforward – and more strategic.

Jacobs says left-back is the priority right now. Alejandro Balde has been offered around, with Barcelona understood to be open to a sale at around €45m. It’s a big fee, and United are wary of locking themselves in.

The preference, according to Jacobs, is a loan with an option to buy rather than an outright permanent deal. That structure would give United flexibility for 2027, when they want a clear run at their long-term top target: Lewis Hall.

Hall, currently not thought to be available this late in the window, is central to United’s planning. The club must now decide whether to commit to a significant signing at left-back immediately, bring in a stopgap on a temporary basis, or hold their nerve and wait for the player they really want next year.

Balde remains one to watch. So do other names on the desk. Jacobs notes that United have also been offered Jorge Salinas and David Raum as alternative options, but, at this stage, nothing has moved beyond that.

The window is closing fast. United’s midfield is rebuilt, the goalkeeping depth is sorted, and the academy pipeline has been topped up. Now the final days will reveal something more telling: how ruthless INEOS are prepared to be if Zirkzee walks out and the left flank still needs fixing.