Sporting director Giovanni Carnevali and technical director Frederic Massara are in constant dialogue with Zirkzee's agent, Kia Joorabchian, and with Manchester United, who have opened the door to a loan for the Dutch forward following the arrivals of Randal Kolo Muani and Kerim Alajbegovic.
Massara's interest in the forward dates back to his time at Roma, when he first tried to sign him, and there's a sense he could finally get his man now that the player himself is said to be keen on a return to Italy after struggling for regular football at Old Trafford.
Parma's Mateo Pellegrino remains an alternative option, though Zirkzee is currently the preferred choice to complete Luciano Spalletti's forward line.
On the other side of the pitch, Juventus continue to monitor Marseille captain Leonardo Balerdi, though the Argentina international is not currently a priority. Carnevali and Massara have yet to table any formal offer to the French club, with their attention currently fixed on other priorities – chiefly a new goalkeeper and finishing off other areas of the squad Spalletti has already flagged.
Signing a new centre-back remains centred on Bologna's Jhon Lucumí for now, with his price tag the main sticking point in that pursuit; a collapse in those talks is the most likely trigger for Juventus to shift their attention properly toward Balerdi. Either way, funding any further business is contingent on the club first trimming its own defensive options and banking fees from outgoing sales.
Manchester United value Zirkzee at around €35-40m, having signed him from Bologna for a fee in the region of €42.5m last year, though their preference for a loan arrangement has opened the door for Juventus given the size of an outright transfer fee.
The Dutch forward has managed just four goals and two assists in 27 Premier League appearances since his move to Old Trafford, and would give Spalletti a different profile up front to Kolo Muani, who arrived from Paris Saint-Germain earlier in the window as part of the club's broader push to overhaul the forward line following the free departure of Dusan Vlahovic and Lois Openda's loan exit to Lyon.