Napoli have announced they will sign Rasmus Hejlund on a permanent deal this summer after he was released by Manchester United, with the Italian champions set to trigger a £38m release clause in the striker’s contract. The Denmark international is understood to have already put pen to paper on a new and improved long-term contract with Napoli. Hoylund joined the club on a season-long loan deal last summer after failing to make a mark at United.
The 23-year-old joined United from Atalanta in 2023 for £76m, but has gone on to become one of the club’s most costly disappointments. He scored just 26 goals in 95 appearances in all competitions, before United chose to cut their losses for forwards and explore new avenues.
However, since linking up with Napoli, Hojlund has improved, scoring 11 goals in 30 Serie A appearances for Antonio Conte’s side. Napoli need to qualify for the Champions League in order to sign Hujlund for the agreed amount.
However, despite Napoli being second in the table behind Inter Milan, sporting director Giovanni Manna insisted they would sign Hojlund regardless of which club he plays for. “There is no doubt, Rasmus will remain here,” he said.
“We have an obligation to sign him from Manchester United in order to qualify for the Champions League, but he is in our plans regardless of this condition.”
United legend Peter Schmeichel believes his former club made a huge mistake in allowing Vjølund to leave. “It’s a bit disappointing, by the way, because I like Hojlund and I think he could have been an absolutely great player, but he doesn’t want to come back,” Schmeichel said on The Good, the Bad and the Football podcast.
Schmeichel’s former teammate Nicky Butt expressed similar concerns, adding: “What they did with Hojlund was wrong, because they brought in a kid with no Premier League experience and asked him to stand on Manchester United’s backs.”
“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.”
