Man Utd to launch £50m bid for striker

Tom Weber

• Updated: 6 Jul 2023 21:57 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United are ready to launch a bid for Atalanta youngster Rasmus Hojlund, according to reports.

The Red Devils are still in the market for a new, proper number nine after having focused on other targets until now. Mason Mount has already been announced and negotiations with Inter over goalkeeper Andre Onana appear to be progressing. This means that Manchester United are now ready to shift their focus back on what is arguably the club's biggest area of concern.

Due to Financial Fair Play regulations and a lack of funds because of the ongoing takeover saga, United have had to end their pursuits of Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen. Goncalo Ramos has been posited as a potential option, as has Randal Kolo Muani, but both would command north of €100 million, with the former having a €120m release clause and the latter still having a contract until 2027.

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This has seen young Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund emerge as the Manchester outfit's most realistic possible target. Indeed, United have already tested the waters with some media outlets even claiming that they had a very low bid rejected last week. While the latter was disputed by Fabrizio Romano, new reports suggest that Manchester United will soon table a formal offer.

A £50m bid

According to The Telegraph, the Red Devils are readying their offer for Hojlund which will reportedly clock in at £50m (€58m). Romano has previously claimed that Atalanta could be asking for as much as €70m, a figure that United are not prepared to match given the Dane's relative inexperience at the highest level.

Instead, United have been trying to negotiate this fee down and their purported new offer would hammer home the point that €70m is deemed an unrealistic sum.

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Additionally, the report claims that United may have to wait for the takeover saga to be completed before a deal could be sanctioned, which would be somewhat surprising considering that this hasn't been an issue thus far and that the Glazers are still dragging their feet, so there may not be a resolution for the foreseeable future.