Rasmus Hojlund finds himself on the sidelines at Manchester United after Benjamin Sesco arrives, but is back in Serie A and is on the card thanks to injuries
Napoli was forced to rethink Manchester United striker Rasmus Hoilund’s move in the summer transfer window after Romell Lukaku was injured.
Lukaku is the main option for Antonio Conte’s centre forward, but he is not available for about three months after suffering a thigh injury. The Belgian striker was injured last week in pre-season friendly with the Olympiacos, and Napoli confirmed the scope of the issue.
The defending Serie A champion could have been without Lukaku until November, and therefore had his eyes on the transfer market. Hojlund was considered early in the summer before Conte chose to sign a signature with an obligation to purchase a loan agreement to Udinese’s Lorenzo Lucca instead.
Lucca costs 35 million euros (£30 million). This is ahead of Hojlund and former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez. However, according to Sky Sports Italy, Hoszilund has returned to Napoli radar following Lukaku’s blow.
read more: Transfer News Live: Three Man UTD Deal Stall, Liverpool’s guehi, eze to spurs restread more: Man UTD forwarding news: Hojlund, Sancho, Garnacho stall when Donnarumma’s plea is made
Dane is poised to leave Old Trafford this summer after Reuben Amorim left him from the team on Sunday for the opening game of the season against Arsenal. With Benjamin Sesco’s arrival on a £74 million contract from RB Leipzig, Hoilund has dropped the pecking order and United are ready to sanction his exit.
They signed him from Atalanta two years ago for £72 million, so they are ready to sell for less than half that price. Hojlund has a good reputation in Italy thanks to the spells with Atalanta and AC Milan. We are also considering the movement.
However, Milan is understood to prefer Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic, who also appeared in the Naples finalist.
Meanwhile, Hojlund can also compete with his United teammates. Corriere Dello Sport says Joshua Zirkzee is another option in Naples with Giam Philippe Mateta from Crystal Palace and Artem Dovbyk from Rome.
Hojlund has signed with United until June 2028, but the club also retains the option of extending its stay until 2028. He struggled to make the impact last season, scoring just 10 goals in 52 games, with Amorim ready to move on, and his 26 strike record in 95 games was completely unconvincing.
The Transfer Window takes less than two weeks to go, but Milan’s sports director Iglithea confirms their interest. “Hoilund is a good option for us,” he said. “We’re thinking about him, but in the transfer market, we don’t know what’s going to happen.”
United are also trying to off-road Jadon Sancho in Rome, Alejandro Garnacho to Chelsea, but are unhappy with the difficulty of doing so. They only managed to lend and send Marcus Rashford to Barcelona and need more exits before moving for midfielders and goalkeepers.
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