Manchester United have secured £38m for next season after Napoli’s signing of Rasmus Hjølund was triggered after they qualified for the Champions League. The Danish forward joined the Serie A club on a season-long loan last summer, but United included a clause that would make the move permanent if Napoli qualified for Europe’s top competition.
Antonio Conte’s side were unable to defend their Serie A title in 2024/25, but secured a spot in next season’s Champions League with a 3-0 win over relegated Pisa on Sunday. This means Napoli are obliged to complete a permanent deal with Hojlund this summer after he scored 15 goals and provided eight assists in 43 appearances for Gli Azzurri.
He is set to follow in the footsteps of former United midfielder Scott McTominay and make a permanent move to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, where he has enjoyed cult status since his arrival in Italy.
Hojlund found the back of the net for Napoli’s victory in Pisa, with McTominay and Amir Rahmani joining the other two in a superb performance for Conte’s side, effectively sealing second place in the table. Gri Azzurri are three points behind AC Milan in third place and Roma in fourth place, and have an overwhelming advantage on goal difference heading into the final weekend.
Napoli’s sporting director Giovanni Manna has already made his intentions clear, saying the club will pursue signing Hojlund regardless of whether they qualify for the Champions League or not.
Back in March, he said: “There is no doubt, Rasmus will stay here. We have an obligation to sign him from Manchester United in order to qualify for the Champions League, but regardless of these conditions he is in our plans.”
This represents an encouraging development for United ahead of the summer transfer window, with the club working hard to strengthen their squad in preparation for a serious challenge for the Premier League title.
Michael Carrick did a fantastic job of getting the club back into the Champions League after enduring a turbulent period under Ruben Amorim before his departure.
United are not expected to bring in a replacement for Hojlund this summer, having already secured a deal for Benjamin Sesco, who has been in action since Carrick took over at Old Trafford last summer.
Nevertheless, not everyone was convinced that sanctioning Mr. Hojlund’s resignation was the right decision. United icon Peter Schmeichel said on The Good, the Bad and the Football podcast: “It’s a bit of a shame because by the way I like Vjølund and I think he could have been an absolutely fantastic player, but I don’t think he wants to come back.”
Nicky Butt, Schmeichel’s former teammate, added: “What they did with Hujlund was wrong. They brought in a young player with no Premier League experience and asked him to carry Manchester United on his back.”
“I’m worried they’ll do something like that with (Benjamin) Sesco. I know Sesco has been doing really well lately, but they still need to get another centre-forward. We had four top players in that position.”
