Man Utd news: 'One issue' stalling exit of unwanted Red Devils flop to Serie A heavyweight

Ruben Amorim is reportedly prepared to make difficult decisions regarding Manchester United's squad depth in the January transfer window.

Having signed Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko in the summer window, the Red Devils then let Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford depart on loan to Napoli and Barcelona, respectively.

While those deals have benefitted everyone involved, except for Sesko, United, currently sixth in the Premier League table after Monday's thrilling 4-4 draw with Bournemouth, are reportedly looking to make further deals in the winter transfer window.

One player believed to be set for a move away at the turn of the year is Joshua Zirkzee, with reports coming out of Italy suggesting that a Serie A heavyweight is keen to bring the ex-Bologna man back to the league, although there is a supposed point of deadlock in negotiations.

Serie A giant's Zirkzee interest reportedly hits a stumbling block

According to Mirror Football, Roma are reportedly eager to bring Zirkzee back to Serie A after his previous success with Bologna.

The Netherlands international is understood to be open to the move as he seeks to resurrect a career that has stalled since his £36.5m transfer to Manchester.

However, a significant financial gap remains between the two clubs, with United holding out for a permanent sale in the region of £35m.

Roma are supposedly pushing for a loan with a conditional obligation to buy if they qualify for next season's Champions League, which is not currently of interest to the Red Devils hierarchy.

Gian Piero Gasperini's team currently occupy fourth place in the Serie A table after 15 rounds, four points clear of Juventus in fifth, and just three off Inter Milan in first.

Will Man Utd sanction Zirkzee's departure in January?

It remains uncertain whether United will ultimately sanction the 24-year-old’s departure, given their current dearth of options in attack.

The club have already lost Mbeumo to the Africa Cup of Nations, while Sesko has only just returned from injury.

While Zirkzee, who has scored only eight goals in 59 appearances for the club, has struggled to gain Amorim’s complete confidence, the forward is contracted until June 2029, putting United in a strong position to insist on terms that suit them.

Thus, unless a significant bid arrives, the Red Devils are likely to keep the striker as cover for the first few weeks of the January window at least, if not until the end of the season.