Joshua Zirkzee has already confirmed Everton contract offer amid Blues transfer interest

Everton have been linked with a potential transfer move for Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee

Everton-linked Joshua Zirkzee has already spoken about the prospect of joining them – having turned out for the Blues on trial over eight years ago. Sky Sports News football correspondent Rob Dorsett has reported that Everton are prioritising a new striker in January and one of a different profile to existing frontmen Thierno Barry and Beto.

He states that Ivan Toney of Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli and Zirkzee of Manchester United are high up on their list of possible targets if either were to become available, although Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus looks out of reach after Mikel Arteta said he won’t be moving.

Zirkzee, 24, joined Manchester United from Bologna on July 14, 2024, but has only scored seven goals in 54 matches for the Red Devils with a mere three of those coming in 36 Premier League appearances.

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The 6ft 4in player has been on Everton’s radar for a long time, though, and even donned the royal blue jersey in a youth tournament in the Czech Republic.

At the time, Schiedam-born Zirkzee was a prolific 16-year-old prospect at Feyenoord having plundered 33 goals in 27 games for their youth team the previous season.

That form had seemingly prompted Arsenal to close in on his signature but using his contacts at the Rotterdam giants, then Everton manager Ronald Koeman – the only man to both play for and then coach each of Dutch club football’s ‘Big Three’ – was able to swoop under the Gunners’ noses to secure a trial for the player with the Blues in July 2017.

Zirkzee ended up playing twice for Everton in a competition called the Generali CEE Cup in Prague but a deal wasn’t struck and he ended up moving to Bayern Munich’s youth academy later that year.

Reflecting on his time with the Blues a couple of years later, Zirkzee told Dutch football journalist Arthur Renard: “Everton was a serious option for me, because Ronald Koeman was the manager of the first team and I didn’t have many strikers in front of me at that time. “Romelu Lukaku left for Manchester United that summer and Everton gave me a feeling there was a good chance to come through there.

“When I was there, they offered me a contract straightaway.”

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