Man United’s delaying tactics on Joshua Zirkzee fee symptomatic of lowballing antics under Sir Jim

It’s thought that Man United are well down the road to signing Dutch international striker, Joshua Zirkzee, though issues with regards to payment of his transfer fee could delay matters unnecessarily.

According to The Guardian (subscription required), the club have something of a dilemma on their hands.

They’re unsure whether to pay the entire fee, rumoured to be €40m (£34m), to Bologna, or try to negotiate a slightly higher fee but only so that they can then pay for the player in instalments.

Man United might have to pay in instalments for Zirkzee

Given that their apparent second offer of £45m for Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite is still nowhere close to the £60m/£70m that the Toffees have specified will bring them to the table too, it speaks of a club under Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s guidance that are trying to do things as cheap as possible at this juncture.

For supporters that want to see world class exponents arriving at Old Trafford, that may seem like the sort of business practices that would’ve been employed by the Glazer family.

The first proper transfer window under Sir Jim wasn’t meant to be like this. Where are the world class names arriving to shake up the dressing room?

Far from having money to spend this summer, it appears that Erik ten Hag will have to sell before he can buy, meaning that the club have a job on their hands in not only getting rid of their dead wood, but also considering bids for their players who might bring in the most money.

Evidently a case of two steps forward and one back at this stage, and that wasn’t a major selling point for supporters to get on board with Ratcliffe’s vision.

Time will tell if this summer is another false dawn in the North West.