Manchester United are plotting a swoop for a Danish striker who is currently excelling in Serie A as Erik ten Hag looks to strengthen his squad at Old Trafford.
What’s the latest on Rasmus Hojlund to Man United?
According to Tipsbladet, the Premier League giants are eyeing a swoop for Rasmus Hojlund in the summer. However with Real Madrid, Napoli and Juventus also interested, Ten Hag faces some serious competition for the player.
Atalanta are reportedly demanding a fee of €50m (£44m) in order for anyone to prise the youngster away from the club, a figure which is certainly affordable for United.
Could Hojlund be Ten Hag’s own Haaland?
The 20-year-old has netted six Serie A goals this season (13 in total) and has burst onto the scene in recent months, with his ability and future potential attracting interest from some of Europe’s elite.
His pace is one of his biggest assets, with journalist Sacha Pisani describing him as “scary quick” earlier this month. According to WhoScored, his key strengths are finishing and dribbling, and this could render him very comparable to Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian striker also has finishing as a strength (via WhoScored), while Haaland and Hojlund share similar playing styles, with both strikers offering a counterattacking threat and avoiding a tendency to dive into tackles.
Indeed, the young Dane has even likened himself to the Manchester City superstar, saying: “I see parallels between myself and Erling Haaland. He is fast, left-footed, tall, has a good nose for goal and is a classy finisher. His mentality is also completely insane!”
Gian Piero Gasperini, Hojlund’s manager at Atalanta, has also praised the youngster for his likeness to his fellow Scandinavian marskman, saying: “Hojlund has this spirit, energy, intensity, but also technical quality that is just remarkable. He still has so much margin for improvement, too. He has very similar characteristics to Haaland, not just his face.”
That billing will be a lot for Hojlund to emulate, with the Man City striker making the transition from the Bundesliga to the Premier League with remarkable ease, scoring 26 goals in just 23 league matches and netting 32 times in as many games for his current club, who he joined only last year.
Ten Hag is undergoing a revolution of sorts at United, and having made a torrid start to his tenure, he has galvanised the club to lead them to the EFL Cup final while still in with a shout at winning the FA Cup and Europa League, while dare I say it, challenging for the Premier League title too.
Having Hojlund as an option next season could only add more quality to an already stacked United squad, and with the young prospect being compared to Haaland, the Red Devils manager would love the idea of another Nordic superstar gracing English football, this time at Old Trafford.
