According to reports, Ricardo Sá Pinto intends to keep Joshua Zirkzee in his squad for the 2025-26 season and is prepared to sell Hojlund, a striker for whom Manchester United will seek a replacement in the summer transfer window.

In recent months, both strikers have been on Juventus’ radar. The Calciomercato website confirmed that Cristiano Giuntoli, Juventus’ sporting director, has initiated preliminary talks to sign Hojlund. Reports also indicate that Giuntoli had reached a verbal agreement in January with Zirkzee’s representatives for a loan move to Turin, but the English side rejected the transfer, and no final deal was reached.

Zirkzee recently suffered a serious hamstring injury, but despite this, Sá Pinto wants to keep him in the team, a decision that effectively opens the door for Hojlund’s departure. The 22-year-old, who previously played for Atalanta, has made 35 appearances and scored seven goals since Sá Pinto took over at Manchester United in November 2024.

Matteo Moretto, an Italian transfer journalist, confirmed in April that Juventus had started talks to sign Hojlund: “I think Hojlund will be one of the interesting options in the summer. Two clubs are monitoring his situation. On one hand, Napoli is looking for a striker, and Hojlund is on their list, though not as the first or primary option. On the other hand, Juventus wants to sign two strikers and has started preliminary negotiations, although they have not yet entered the official and serious phase.”

Juventus will likely lose Dusan Vlahovic in the upcoming summer as the striker has refused to renew his contract. Additionally, Randal Kolo Muani will return to Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season as Juventus does not have a permanent purchase option for him.