Manchester United has successfully secured the services of Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta in a transfer worth up to £72 million.
The club initially reached a base agreement of £64 million for the Danish striker, with an additional potential sum of £8 million tied to performance-based incentives.
This acquisition effectively concludes Manchester United’s extensive quest for a striker throughout the summer.
Hojlund, who has committed to a five-year contract, with the possibility of extending it by another year, becomes the third addition to the team this summer, following midfielder Mason Mount and goalkeeper Andre Onana.
These signings amount to a total expenditure of £179 million for the club during this transfer window.
Rasmus Hojlund, aged 20, is expected to join his new teammates at United’s Carrington training complex in the next 48 hours.
This timeline will allow him to undergo a medical evaluation and finalize the contractual arrangements before he begins training with the squad.
In a possible scenario, Hojlund might make his debut appearance for Manchester United at their home ground, Old Trafford, in a friendly match against French team Lens, scheduled for the upcoming Saturday.
His readiness for the start of the approaching season aligns with the preferences of manager Erik ten Hag.
Although Atalanta initially sought £86 million for Hojlund’s transfer, skillful negotiation by United’s management resulted in a more acceptable valuation.
This strategic approach was also applied to the dealings involving Mason Mount and Andre Onana.
It’s important to note that all three signings align precisely with Erik ten Hag’s top preferences for the respective positions.
Consequently, further additions to the team during this summer transfer window are not anticipated.
The club’s primary focus now lies on offloading peripheral players to generate the necessary funds.
Adhering to the Financial Fair Play regulations, which impose constraints on the club’s spending, Manchester United’s expenditures were limited to approximately £120 million for this summer. To ensure compliance, the club must now generate over £50 million from player sales.
Rasmus Hojlund’s performance in Serie A during the previous season yielded nine goals.
Despite this modest record, Erik ten Hag remains confident in his ability to transform the young striker into an accomplished and prolific goal scorer.
This coaching emphasis reflects Ten Hag’s vision for Hojlund’s development within the team.
The confirmation of this agreement comes as welcome news for Erik ten Hag, who previously expressed the team’s need for an effective goal scorer, a sentiment he reinforced after a friendly defeat to Real Madrid.
“It’s always difficult to say. We are working 24-7. We do and everyone, well not everyone, but a lot in the club, and we give all the power to get this done. We never talk about players under contract with another club, so we have our targets in the background,” he said.
“We are busy with it to get the right player to sign a contract for us. We are now 10 days on our way, nine days, I don’t even know. We work hard, we work intense so we don’t have time to count the days, but I think the team spirit is good.
“We are in the right direction and we are moving well. The pressing can be better from from the start and and scoring goals. I think we need more players who are capable to be in one-on-one. And we had the situations, one-on-ones.”
