Manchester United Eye Igor Matanovic Amid Zirkzee Uncertainty

Manchester United are preparing for a late twist in their transfer window – and Igor Matanovic is suddenly at the heart of it.

With Joshua Zirkzee’s future no longer guaranteed at Old Trafford, United have joined Tottenham and Fiorentina in the race for the Freiburg striker, a player viewed in Croatia as the natural heir to Mario Mandzukic and fresh from an 11-goal Bundesliga season.

This was supposed to be a midfield window for United. That part of the plan has been executed with rare clarity. Carlos Baleba from Brighton, Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Andrey Santos from Chelsea have all arrived to reshape the centre of the pitch. Karl Darlow has come in as back-up goalkeeper on a free, while young defender Tynan Thompson has been prised from Tottenham in a deal worth around £8m.

The rebuild had a clear spine. Then Zirkzee’s situation changed.

Zirkzee domino puts Matanovic in play

INEOS and the United hierarchy have been consistent on one point: a new No. 9 only becomes a live issue if Zirkzee walks out of the door.

Ben Jacobs underlined that stance this week, revealing that United are “alert” to the striker market but not committed to buying unless they are forced into it by a departure. Interest in Zirkzee from both the Premier League and Serie A has turned that hypothetical into something far more urgent.

Fiorentina are now in advanced talks to sign the Netherlands international, according to Fabrizio Romano, after Como moved to secure Moise Kean before the deadline. If La Viola close that deal, it rips a sizeable hole in United’s forward line and triggers the contingency plan.

That’s where Matanovic comes in.

Thursday’s print edition of Gazzetta dello Sport, relayed by Sport Witness, describes Fiorentina’s pursuit of the Freiburg striker as “difficult but not impossible”. The difficulty has a name: competition. Manchester United and Tottenham have both stepped into the frame, complicating any Italian move for the 21-year-old.

Matanovic’s profile is exactly the kind of project clubs at this level are now prepared to fight over – young, proven in a major league, physically robust, and with a goalscoring record that hints at a much higher ceiling. Those 11 Bundesliga goals last season have not gone unnoticed.

The market is aligning in United’s favour. With Omar Marmoush moving towards Tottenham and Fiorentina pushing hard for Zirkzee, the path to Matanovic could open up for Old Trafford in the final days of the window. If Zirkzee leaves, United will not have the luxury of time. They will need a striker ready to step into a demanding role, and Matanovic is firmly on that shortlist.

Left-back: big names, tight margins

While the striker situation threatens to erupt late, left-back remains the most carefully managed storyline of United’s window.

Jacobs has made it clear that the position is viewed as the current priority. The club are weighing up whether to act now or wait for their preferred long-term solution. The numbers, and the timing, are shaping that decision.

Alejandro Balde has been offered around, with Barcelona understood to be open to an exit at around €45m. On paper, that’s a rare opportunity: a young, high-upside full-back from a Champions League club, available for a fixed fee.

United, though, are not rushing into a permanent deal. Their thinking stretches to 2027, when they want the flexibility to go hard for their top target, Lewis Hall. Hall is not thought to be available this late in the current window, which leaves United at a crossroads.

Do they commit big money now and potentially block a future move for Hall? Or do they bring in a stopgap – ideally on loan – and keep their powder dry for a more decisive push next year?

At the moment, the second option is winning the argument. Balde is one possibility, but only on terms that suit United: a loan, potentially with an option to buy, rather than an outright purchase. It is a delicate negotiation, the kind that can drag until the final hours.

Other names have been floated. Jorge Salinas and David Raum have been offered as alternative left-back solutions, but, as Jacobs stresses, nothing has advanced. United are watching, waiting, and calculating.

The midfield has been rebuilt. The squad has been padded. The strategy is clear. Now the window comes down to two pressure points: whether Zirkzee stays, and how bold United are prepared to be at left-back.

If both decisions break the same way, this could be a very different Manchester United by the time the deadline passes.