Manchester United are planning to launch a new bid to sign Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund, first confirmed by The Telegraph’s Sam Wallace and there has since been an update from Manchester Evening News’ Samuel Luckhurst. This comes after the Red Devils finalized the signing of Mason Mount from Chelsea. John Murtough, Manchester United’s football director has believed to have met Atalanta officials according to Luckhurst.
Manchester United Plot Rasmus Hojlund Bid
John Murtough has held extensive talks over Rasmus Hojlund and Andre Onana #mufchttps://t.co/TP0jKI8W8J
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) July 7, 2023
What Will It Take for United to Sign Hojlund?
Erik ten Hag’s side struggled from goalscoring issues all through the 2022-23 Premier League campaign, scoring the fourth least goals in the top half of the table and having 36 goals fewer than eventual champions Manchester City.
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Sam Wallace adds that the Manchester giants are eyeing a move to make Hojlund their new first-choice striker next season. It’s also added that there is a belief that a deal can be completed for around £50 million, but a deal could be forced to wait until there is a resolution over their ownership situation and the potential sale of the club. Manchester Evening News values Hojlund at around £85.39m.
Hojlund is claimed to be the ‘realistic’ forward option for the club and someone they have considered as their main striker target alongside Eintracht Frankfurt man Randal Kolo Muani. Wallace also claims that Ten Hag has personally identified the Danish youngster as his preference to spearhead his attack next season.
What Can Hojlund Bring to Old Trafford?
Noted as a player with a ‘huge scope for improvement’ by the Telegraph, Hojlund has earned the attention of the Red Devils for having a breakthrough season for the Italian club last season. He scored 16 goals and provided 7 assists in 42 appearances across all competitions in the previous campaign, including nine goals in 32 Serie A games.
The 20-year-old is a pure number nine who is known for his impressive pace and finishing ability. He was hailed as ‘extraordinary’ by Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini last season for his heroics in attack. The Danish striker, who has six goals in four UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers for his national team, could bring something different up-front for United.
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He has lots of pace to bolster United’s counter-attacks, and is a physical, bulky striker too, making him a solid fit for the Premier League. The youngster also has a lot of variety to his finishing, drawing comparisons to Erling Haaland for having a similar playing style. With Anthony Martial struggling with injuries and Marcus Rashford more comfortable on the left wing, the Red Devils desperately need a new striker and can benefit from having a bright, young ace like Hojlund.
Main Photo Credit
مشاري محمد بن خنين, Flickr, Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)
