Manchester United spent 64 million pounds, with an additional 8 million in add-ons, to sign Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta in the summer 2023 transfer window. At the time, Hojlund was one of the most intriguing talents in Serie A and one of the biggest emerging talents at the striker position, dazzling with his upside and explosive dribbling on the ball.
Hojlund has found service, beyond the creation from captain Bruno Fernandes, to be difficult at Old Trafford, and he and fellow former Serie A standout Joshua Zirkzee have had trouble forging a connection up top.
Manchester United still have hopes for Hojlund, but there are already rumblings of a potential transfer in the summer 2025 window, and a Serie A title contender may be interested in bringing Hojlund back to a league that he seemed to fit better.
According to a report from Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, Napoli have begun initial talks with Manchester United regarding a Hojlund transfer, with the Red Devils setting an initial price tag of 50 million pounds.
Manchester United could use Rasmus Hojlund to get Victor Osimhen
While 50 million pounds is significantly less than what Manchester United paid to sign him, that’s a lot of money for Napoli. What Manchester United and what Napoli pay for transfer targets looks very different, and that’s reflected in the ultimate final fee.
Napoli do have a player of interest to Manchester United at striker, and that is Victor Osimhen, who has been playing well on loan at Galatasaray, even if his value has gone down because he’s no longer in the spotlight in Turkey.
Worst comes to worst, if Manchester United and Hojlund feel a parting of ways is necessary, then United could try to use Hojlund as a makeweight to sign Osimhen, and they may only have to pay a minimal fee on top of Hojlund to get the former Capocannoniere striker.
Manchester United need a proven, 25-goal striker if they want to get back into Champions League contention, as they are in the bottom half of the Premier League table right now.
Osimhen is one of the few strikers who can provide that. Hojlund, meanwhile, isn’t a pure scoring striker, and his all-around game seems to suit Serie A a whole lot better.
So far this season, Hojlund has just 3 goals in 24 appearances compared to 10 goals in his first season at Manchester United. While at Atalanta, Hojlund scored 9 goals in fewer minutes in Bergamo than in Manchester. He is still only 22 years old.
Joe Soriano covers West Ham for Green Street Hammers and writes about Real Madrid for The Real Champs. He has extensive experience covering world football since 2014. Joe is an editor for The Trivela Effect, where he covers the biggest clubs in European football. He has watched professional sports regularly since 2002 and can be found playing the same sports he covers with his friends.