Man United transfer news: Roma want unsettled Red Devils ace in January to solve team's 'crisis'

Roma are reportedly desperate to sign Manchester United attacker Joshua Zirkzee during the January transfer window in a bid to solve their problems in the final third of the field.

The Yellow and Reds have made an excellent start to the 2025-26 campaign, picking up 21 points from their nine matches, which has left them second in the Serie A table, level on points with leaders Napoli.

Roma's form has been built on an excellent defence, with the team only scoring 10 times in the league this term.

Artem Dovbyk has only managed two goals in 11 appearances in all competitions, while Evan Ferguson, who is on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, is yet to find the back of the net.

Goalscoring issues are threatening to derail what could be a strong season for Roma, and according to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian giants want to solve that 'crisis' during the January market.

Roma 'eyeing' January move for Man United's Joshua Zirkzee

The report claims that the 'dream' of head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is for Zirkzee to arrive, with the Netherlands international currently unhappy at Man United.

Zirkzee scored 14 times in 58 appearances for Bologna before making the switch to Man United, but he has found it difficult to make his mark with the 20-time English champions.

The 24-year-old only managed seven goals in 49 appearances in all competitions last term, with just three of those strikes coming in the Premier League, while he is finding it tough to secure football this term.

The forward's five appearances for the Red Devils this season have come off the bench, while he has only featured for a total of 82 minutes across four Premier League matches.

Zirkzee needs regular football in the second half of the season to stand a chance of securing a spot in the Netherlands squad for the 2026 World Cup, and his stock remains high in Italy.

Will Man United let Zirkzee leave in January?

Man United are, at this stage, not expecting to allow any first-team players to leave in January, and that includes Kobbie Mainoo, who is also being heavily linked with an exit.

The Red Devils would be short in attack if Benjamin Sesko picked up an injury, so Zirkzee is needed, but Matheus Cunha is capable of operating through the middle if required.

Man United have a reduced fixture list due to their absence from Europe, meanwhile, so it is not impossible to imagine the Red Devils allowing Zirkzee to leave in January, but the deal would have to make sense from a financial point of view.