Report: Bologna in pole position to sign Bayern Munich striker Joshua Zirkzee

Bayern Munich striker Joshua Zirkzee has had a turbulent career so far. Initially exploding to the scene at the age of 19 with some impressive substitute appearances for the Bayern Munich first team (ah yes, gone are the days when we used to be aboard the Zee hype train after he scored late game winners against Freiburg and Wolfsburg), his steep rise stunted shortly, stagnating over the course of the next season, making just a couple of appearances.

He was then loaned to Serie A side Parma, which turned out to be an unfruitful spell, with him just registering four appearances due to being sidelined for the majority of the season with an LCL injury. In summer 2021, he made another loan move, this time to Anderlecht, which proved to be a much better move. He registered a whopping 18 goals and 13 assists (31 goal contributions!!!) across all competitions for the Eredivisie side, garnering interest from clubs such as VfB Stuttgart, Bologna, Club Brugge, and of course, Anderlecht, who wish to retain him.

Bayern seems to be ready to move on from the player, at least for the time being, and is looking to offload him before the transfer window closes. Among the clubs vying for his signature, FC Bologna seems to be the frontrunner, according to Sport Bild’s Christian Falk:

The player is reportedly a hotly contested commodity, with the race between the four clubs expected to result in a transfer fee war. Bologna and VfB Stuttgart seem to have a financial advantage over their competitors, with Florian Plettenberg also proclaiming Bologna to be ahead of the pack at the moment. Plettenberg also reports that the transfer fee would be around 8 to 9 million euros plus bonuses. A sell-on clause is also expected to be included.

The “matching right” included means that Bayern should also be able to procure the player back if needed. The club would simply have to match the fee offered by another interested club.

Despite the reported fee being quite disappointing and quite low for the player, the sell-on clause gives reason for respite. However, if the move materializes, this would be another case of Bayern selling a talent for peanuts. Yes, the club is in a tough negotiating position right now, with Zirkzee’s performances (or lack thereof) not warranting much in terms of a transfer fee.

However, if the player does experience a resurgence at his future club, Bayern could stand to rake in a nice chunk of change. Here’s to hoping that the sell-on clause is quite big, like something upwards of 25% on the transfer fee.