Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee is reportedly considering a move away from the club in January, as reported by Calciomercato. The 23-year-old, who joined Old Trafford in July for a fee of £36.5 million from Bologna, is said to be keen on returning to Italy.
While AC Milan no longer has interest in acquiring the Netherlands international, Juventus is among the clubs that could pursue Zirkzee. He fits the profile of the type of forward the Turin club is looking for, which could open the door for a potential transfer.
According to the Italian outlet, a loan move could materialize in January. However, it remains uncertain whether Manchester United would agree to let Zirkzee depart without securing a replacement first. His current record of one goal in 11 matches across all competitions this season has marked a challenging start to his time in England.
Zirkzee's recent struggles have also seen him lose his spot in manager Erik ten Hag's starting XI to Rasmus Højlund, who notably scored the winning goal in Saturday's 2-1 comeback victory over Brentford. As the January transfer window approaches, Zirkzee's situation at United will be closely watched, particularly given his desire to find regular playing time and potentially return to the Serie A.
The U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) has successfully defended itself against an antitrust lawsuit filed by the now-defunct North American Soccer League (NASL).
The NASL had accused US Soccer and Major League Soccer (MLS) of conspiring to block its ability to compete at the highest level of men's professional soccer by repeatedly denying its applications for Division II status.
The league argued that USSF’s sanctioning process unfairly favored MLS, preventing independent leagues from gaining recognition and financial stability.
However, the jury ruled in favor of US Soccer and MLS, stating that the NASL’s failure was due to its own mismanagement rather than an unfair system.
Reacting to the verdict, US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone stated, “This decision reaffirms that our federation operates in the best interests of the sport and its growth in the U.S.”
The ruling comes as a relief to MLS and US Soccer, which faced significant legal challenges over their governance of professional leagues.
The lawsuit had raised concerns over whether the USSF holds too much power in determining league sanctioning, an issue that could have reshaped the landscape of American soccer had the NASL won the case.
Critics, however, believe that the case exposed deeper issues in how professional leagues are structured, with former NASL executive Rishi Sehgal arguing, “The current system remains closed and anti-competitive, limiting opportunities for independent clubs to thrive.”
While the legal battle has ended, discussions over the structure and accessibility of professional soccer in the U.S. will likely continue.
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