Manchester United have reportedly made a cash-plus player offer for Atalanta forward Rasmus Hojlund, however, the Serie A side have rejected the proposal.
Are Man United signing Rasmus Hojlund?
The Red Devils and Erik ten Hag appear to be after more signings following a move was secured for midfielder Mason Mount from Chelsea.
However, it is believed that United have around £100m to spend this summer, which means that player sales could be needed at Old Trafford, with up to 13 members of the squad possibly moving on over the coming months.
Andre Onana is a top target in goal following David de Gea’s departure, and it is believed that a verbal agreement is in place with the Champions League ahead of a transfer worth around £47m.
The Cameroon international has already agreed on personal terms with the Red Devils, and reports have suggested that Hojlund has also reached an agreement with United, with the Denmark international revealing earlier this year that he is a “huge” Red Devils supporter.
"Now that you ask, I will not hide the fact that I am a huge Manchester United fan.
"So personally, it would be one of the biggest things for me, but of course that doesn’t mean that I would turn down other big clubs if the offers come at some point.".
It now looks as if the Red Devils have firmed up their interest by making a proposal to Atalanta for the forward. According to The Athletic, Manchester United have offered players plus cash for Hojlund during talks with the Serie A side, however, they have turned down the offer as they only want cash and value the player at £85.5m, a figure United see as excessive.
The report names Fred and Donny van de Beek as potential players who could have been offered, with both midfielders missing the first pre-season game against Leeds United on Wednesday.
How good is Rasmus Hojlund?
Hojlund is only 20 years of age but has already made a mark in his first season with Atalanta, with his Transfermarkt valuation rocketing to a career-high €45m as a result.
He contributed to 14 goals in 34 games last season and was even compared to Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. Labelled as “scary quick” by journalist Sacha Pisani, Hojlund has also been hailed Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini, who also picked up on the forward’s pace and described his technical quality as “remarkable”.
“Hojlund has this spirit, energy, intensity, but also technical quality that is just remarkable.
"He still has so much margin for improvement, too. He is so quick, he’s under 11 seconds over 100m and that’s not even trying very hard. Considering his height, he has a low centre of gravity and can move his legs very fast. I am convinced he’ll have a great career, he just gets stronger every day.”
An out-and-out centre-forward who appears to be going from strength to strength, Hojlund could be just what is required in attack in both the short and long run, but with Atalanta holding out for a cash payment, a transfer could prove to be tricky.