Man Utd reach final decision on letting Joshua Zirkzee join Everton after last-minute offer

According to reports, Manchester United have decided to pull the plug on Joshua Zirkzee’s proposed move to Everton on deadline day.

In the final hours of this summer’s transfer window, Everton have made a move to sign Zirkzee on loan with an option to buy.

Everton’s swoop for Zirkzee came about after they encountered issues with their move for AS Monaco striker Folarin Balogun, who has reportedly failed a medical after agreeing a move to the Premier League side.

Zirkzee has been heavily linked with an exit from Man Utd this summer because he is not one of Michael Carrick’s important players, and his potential exit could have freed up funds for the club to sign another forward.

However, there have been conflicting reports on whether Zirkzee wants to leave Man Utd, even though he has been attracting interest from several Serie A sides this summer.

A move to Italian outfit Fiorentina recently fell through, though Everton moved quickly to secure a deal with Man Utd before the transfer window closed.

With a couple of hours of the window remaining, Ben Jacobs claimed that Everton are ‘close to an agreement’ over a loan with an option to buy for Zirkzee.

However, it has since emerged that Man Utd have decided against letting Zirkzee leave on deadline day.

The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell has shed light on why this decision has been made.

He said on X: ‘Manchester United have turned down Everton’s proposal to take Joshua Zirkzee on loan, meaning the forward stays at Old Trafford. Not enough time to source replacement.’