Manchester United loanee Rasmus Højlund helps Napoli qualify for the Champions League
Rasmus Heilund’s move to Napoli becomes permanent after Champions League qualification (Image: 2025 Getty Images)
Manchester United have set aside £38 million for next season after Napoli’s Champions League qualification meant they had to sign Rasmus Hjølund. The Danish striker joined the Serie A side on a season-long loan last summer, with United agreeing to a clause that would make his move permanent if Napoli qualify for Europe’s elite competition.
Antonio Conte’s side were unable to defend their Serie A title in 2024/25, but secured a place in next season’s Champions League with a 3-0 win over relegated Pisa on Sunday. This will force Napoli to sign Hojlund, who has scored 15 goals and provided eight assists in 43 games for Gli Azzurri, on a permanent contract this summer.
He is aiming to follow in the footsteps of former United midfielder Scott McTominay and make a permanent move to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Maradona became a cult hero after moving to Italy.
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Napoli’s victory in Pisa, with Hojlund scoring and McTominay and Amir Rahmani scoring the other two goals, gave Conte’s side a comfortable victory and all but confirmed second place. Gri Azzurri are three points ahead of AC Milan in third place and Roma in fourth place, but they have a commanding lead on goal difference going into the final weekend.
Napoli’s sporting director Giovanni Manna has already revealed that the club are considering signing Hodjlund, 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.”
Rasmus Heylund has spent this season on loan at Napoli and is set to join the Italian club permanently (Image: Mairo Cinquetti/NurPhoto/Getty Images)
It’s a welcome boost heading into the summer transfer window for a club looking to strengthen their standing to challenge for the Premier League title.
Manager Michael Carrick has done a great job of getting the club back into the Champions League, although they were struggling under Ruben Amorim before being sacked.
United already signed Benjamin Sesco last summer, with Carrick impressing since joining Old Trafford, and it is not expected that he will replace Hojlund in the summer transfer window.
However, not everyone was convinced that allowing Hojlund to leave was the right thing for the club. 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 thought he could absolutely be a great player, but he doesn’t want 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.”
