As stated by the Manchester Evening News, Manchester United are feeling optimistic about securing the signing of Rasmus Hojlund before their Premier League season opener against Wolves.
The club is ready to offer £60 million for Atalanta’s striker Hojlund, whom they have identified as their primary target for the forward position.
This decision comes after Tottenham’s refusal to sell Harry Kane to United, leading the club to focus their efforts on acquiring the highly-rated Danish striker instead.
United considers Randal Kolo Muani from Eintracht Frankfurt and Mohammed Kudus from Ajax as backup options, but their primary target is Hojlund.
Manager Erik ten Hag has personally spoken to the striker through video calls, and football director John Murtough has engaged in extensive discussions with Atalanta regarding the transfer.
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Despite seeing Hojlund as a young and promising player, the club is impressed by his strong work ethic. They have confidence in Ten Hag’s coaching abilities and believe that under his guidance, Hojlund can develop into one of the most formidable and lethal strikers in European football.
The 20-year-old joined Atalanta just last year, and United have preliminary plans to have Marcus Rashford play as a centre-forward in specific matches to help Hojlund adapt to English football.
Importantly, United will not need to offload players to finance the acquisition of Hojlund. The club is operating with a budget of £120 million, and they have already spent £107 million on signings such as Andre Onana and Mason Mount.
The budget accounts for net spending, which means Hojlund’s transfer fee can be balanced by potential sales in the summer and winter transfer windows, adhering to the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability regulations. This approach allows United to pursue their desired targets without being constrained by financial limitations.
United had an extensive database of 1,800 forwards, but it appears they did not explore such a vast range in their pursuit of a new striker under Erik ten Hag.
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Ten Hag had been keen to sign a striker last year, but Cristiano Ronaldo’s inability to secure a transfer to a European club prevented any moves for a replacement.
As the Premier League season approaches, with United hosting Wolves at Old Trafford on August 14, their pre-season performance has raised concerns.
Scoring only four goals in four pre-season games and suffering a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid in Houston will prompt Ten Hag to sign a new striker as soon as possible.
