Manchester United handed Joshua Zirkzee transfer blow ahead of January window

The 22-year-old has scored eight goals and registered four assists in 19 appearances for his Italian club during the 2023-24 campaign, including seven goals and two assists in 17 Serie A appearances.

A recent report claimed that Man United were considering making a mid-season move for the Dutchman in a bid to ease their problems in the final third of the field.

There have also been suggestions of a €40m (£35m) release clause, but the Bologna director has said that the buy-out fee is only valid for Bayern Munich, who sold him to his current side in August 2022.

"The release clause is only valid for Bayern, and in January our top players will not move," Di Vaio told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "How many phone calls have we received? None. And we wouldn't answer anyway."

Zirkzee has been vital to Bologna's success this season, with the team currently sitting fourth in the Serie A table, in addition to advancing to the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia.

The Dutchman came off the bench to provide two assists in his side's 2-1 win over Inter Milan in the last-16 stage of the Italian Cup on December 20.

Man United are believed to have been monitoring his performances this season, but he has a contract with Bologna until June 2026, and a January exit is thought to be highly unlikely.

As a result, the 20-time English champions will seemingly be forced to look elsewhere in a bid to bring in a new striker, which is believed to be regarded as a priority position in the winter market.

Rasmus Hojlund came up with his first Premier League goal, while Alejandro Garnacho scored twice, as Man United recorded a 3-2 win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

Marcus Rashford also put in a much-improved performance, but the Englishman has only netted twice this term, while Anthony Martial only has a contract until the end of the campaign.

Head coach Erik ten Hag is said to be determined to bring in support for Hojlund, with the Denmark international bring forced to play a lot of football this season due to Martial's struggles and recent unavailability though illness.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's 25% purchase of Man United will allegedly not be officially ratified by the Premier League for another four to six weeks.

However, the incoming minority shareholder will have to be consulted on any January transfer business that Man United are intending to do, including outgoings.