The Super Eagles have been dealt a blow after Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee has said it has always been his dream to represent the Netherlands at international level.
The 22-year-old, who came through the Bayern Munich academy, has been on the radar of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) for four years.
The NFF first approached Zirkzee over a nationality switch in 2020, with then Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr even travelling to Germany to watch the striker in person.
However, it now appears that Zirkzee has his eyes set on representing the country of his birth, rather than switching nationality to play for Nigeria.
Zirkzee only wants to play for the Netherlands
Despite being born in the city of Schiedam in the Netherlands, Zirkzee has a Dutch father and a Nigerian mother.
This makes him eligible to play for the Super Eagles, although he has been representing the Netherlands at youth level – from U15s to U21s.
The former Bayern starlet, though, has now made it clear that his dream has always been to play for the European country, killing any hopes of representing Nigeria.
He also expressed his desire to replicate the international career of Marco van Basten, adding that it would be a dream to win a trophy with the Dutch national team.
“My dream is to play for my country. Every kid in the Netherlands that is a football player dreams of stepping in those shoes of Van Basten and all the other strikers that were after him. As a football player that's the highest you get,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Of course the trophies and everything but playing for your country is something special, playing for your country in a big tournament, let's say World Cup or European Championship, that's one of my dreams.
“Having the European Championship in Germany, the country where I also played, it would be a bit extra special. If I'm not there as a player, I am certainly there as a supporter.”
Gernot Rohr’s Super Eagles scouting report on Zirkzee
Zirkzee was first linked to a nationality switch in 2020 when he emerged on the scene for German giants Bayern Munich and scored on his full debut.
Rohr, Nigeria’s coach at the time, made the trip to Germany to watch the youngster in action and returned with a glowing scouting report.
The 70-year-old, however, admitted that it was going to be difficult to convince the striker to ditch the Netherlands to play for the Super Eagles but left the door open for the player to decide for himself.
“A preferred candidate, but it’s not that simple. We cannot and will not poach him, that must come from the player himself,” Rohr said at the time.
“There are a few others in the Bundesliga that apply: Kevin Akpoguma in Hoffenheim, Jordan Torunarigha at Hertha. BSC and Felix Uduokhai in Augsburg. But we can’t get them so easily.”
Zirkzee being monitored by Arsenal, Manchester United
Meanwhile, Zirkzee is set to be the target of a transfer tug-of-war in the summer, if recent reports are anything to go by.
The 22-year-old forward is reportedly being tracked by Premier League clubs Manchester United and Arsenal, as well as Napoli and AC Milan, while Bayern are also open to a return.
Zirkzee has scored eight goals in 23 Serie A matches this season and has been enjoying a productive campaign in the Italian topflight.
According to Football Italia, the forward has a release clause in his contract that is worth €40 million. However, Bayern are said to have the first option to sign him, with the Bundesliga champions also granted a 40% cut of the transfer fee if the player joins another club.
While Zirkzee seems to have already made a final decision on his international future, it remains to be seen where his next club destination will be, with the summer set to be a busy one for him.
