Manchester United have successfully reached an agreement with Serie A’s Atalanta for the acquisition of 20-year-old striker Rasmus Hojlund.
The talented player was notably absent from the squad during Atalanta’s pre-season friendly against Bournemouth, signaling the impending deal.
The agreed-upon deal stands at an initial £64 million with an additional £8 million in potential add-ons. Atalanta initially sought a guaranteed sum of £77 million before negotiations settled.
Sky Sports News had previously reported that Hojlund’s preferred destination was Old Trafford, alleviating any worries about interest from PSG in the Danish international. Personal terms were effortlessly finalized, as Hojlund committed to a five-year contract with the option to extend for another 12 months.
Manchester United received a boost when Atalanta secured the signing of Almeria forward El Bilal Toure, further clearing the path for Hojlund’s move.
United’s incoming transfers are nearly complete, and any further arrivals will likely depend on potential departures. Notably, there is interest from other clubs in players like Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay, Fred, and Donny van de Beek.
Should any of these players leave, Manchester United is prepared to enter the market to find suitable replacements. The club continues to show strong interest in Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat.
“United are conscious that Hojlund is more potential than the finished article, but believe Erik ten Hag’s coaching could help mould him into an elite player.
“Marcus Rashford may need to play some games as United’s focal point while the 20-year-old adjusts and gains experience. Long-term he is seen as a talent that has the potential to become world class under Ten Hag.
United have now solved the three core squad issues the manager identified: a goalkeeper, forward and dynamic midfielder. This has been done within the budget the club set themselves, which was conditioned by Financial Fair Play regulations.
“Hojlund had made it very clear Old Trafford was his destination of choice, so even though PSG had registered their interest with a take-it-or-leave-it bid, there was no worry or concern at United’s end because they knew the player wanted to join them, they knew they had done a lot of homework on this deal and they have still stayed within their budget.
“United have talked Atalanta down from what they initially wanted. The last asking price was £77m guaranteed. We know that United have gone for £64m guaranteed, so they feel that is a win. We have to stress this is a 20-year-old who is still very inexperienced, so it is quite a hefty price for United to pay.
“But they believe he has got such a high ceiling and that he can progress and become world class under Erik ten Hag, so it’s basically backing their manager’s coaching ability and what the scouts have seen in Hojlund.
“We’re told it wasn’t because of PSG coming into the race that United have elevated their price point; it’s simply because, to get the deal done in time for the player to have enough training sessions with the squad to be ready for the start of the season, they wanted to get an agreement in place.
They feel a compromise has been reached, even though they’ve gone higher than they probably would have liked to.”