Man Utd Transfer News Today: Romano Hojlund 'HERE WE GO', Balogun INTEREST and Amrabat LATEST
Graham Shaw
- Updated: 29 Jul 2023 21:13 BST
- 9 min read
Man Utd have got their man with Fabrizio Romano rolling out his trademark 'here we go' to confirm a MASSIVE deal for the signing of Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta.
The Red Devils have agreed an €85 million package to take the 20-year-old Danish striker to Old Trafford - ending a whole summer of speculation that Hojlund would become Erik tan Hag's new forward acquisition.
Ten Hag been chasing a permanent replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo since the Portugal legend left the club late in 2022, but the stalled takeover has posed problems for manager Erik ten Hag to land his preferred options.
United were linked with several forwards over the summer but were put off by huge asking prices for Tottenham's Harry Kane and Napoli's Victor Osimhen. Ultimately, they have settled on Hojlund.
Romano said on Twitter: "Rasmus Hojlund to Manchester United, here we go! Agreement reached right now with Atalanta.
"Package will be around €70m with add-ons, clubs preparing documents in the next 24 hours.
"Hojlund agreed a five-year deal 10 days ago as he only wanted Manchester United."
Hojlund will become Man Utd's third major signing of the summer - after the arrivals of midfielder Mason Mount from Chelsea for £55m and Inter goalkeeper Andre Onana (£52m).
Man Utd step up Amrabat CHASE after young gun suffers INJURY BLOW
Man Utd are ready to step up their transfer chase for Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat after Erik ten Hag lost one of his most impressive pre-season performers to injury.
Academy graduate Kobbie Mainoo has flown back from Man Utd’s summer tour of the USA after sustaining an ankle injury when he started the recent friendly loss to Real Madrid.
Mainoo is now set to miss the first part of the season, with the Manchester Evening News reporting that he could be out for around six weeks because of the problem.
Given manager Erik ten Hag’s use of him in the friendly matches, the 18-year-old appears to have jumped into Man Utd’s plans for the new season, and as a result of his injury, the Red Devils are light in the midfield.
Ajax star Kudus 'wants ten Hag reunion' at Man Utd
Mohammed Kudus would jump at the chance to reunite with Erik ten Hag at Man Utd this summer, even over a move to Arsenal or Chelsea. That is the view of Dutch football expert Marcel van der Kraan.
The exciting Ajax star is on the radar of both London clubs, but the Ghanaian international appears more than open to the possibility of a move to Old Trafford.
Kudus – who scored 18 goals in all competitions last season – was handed his Ajax first-team debut by Ten Hag back in 2020.
And, according to van der Kraan, the 22-year-old – who joined Ajax from Danish outfit Nordsjaelland ‘would jump at’ the opportunity to link back up with his old boss at Man Utd.
Van der Kraan told Sky Sports News: “Mohammed Kudus is a really interesting player in terms of [attacking] midfield and striker – he can play both.
“This is why is he is on the horizon; on their [Man Utd’s] list. He may not be the number one yet, but if any of the players mentioned fail to come and talks break down, Kudus could be an ideal option.”
Van der Kraan also revealed that Kudus has made it clear to Ajax that he wants to leave the club. He continued: “When a player says that [they want to leave], he usually has something lined up.
“He is very keen on a move to the Premier League, whether that is a top club in London or Manchester. As soon as Ten Hag would knock on his door, he would go.”
Man Utd aim to STEAL Pavard away from rivals City
Man Utd have emerged as contenders to sign Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard, a target for Manchester City.
The versatile Frenchman has entered the final 12 months of his contract with the Bundesliga champions and is said to be keen to move on, citing a preference to play at centre-back rather than right-back.
And it seems that Man Utd could be an option for the 27-year-old, who joined Bayern from Stuttgart in 2019.
According to Sport1, United and Juventus have joined Man City in monitoring Pavard’s situation ahead of a possible swoop for the 2018 World Cup winner.
All three clubs are reported to have been in touch with the former Lille youngster’s camp as they look to revamp their respective squads this summer.
Neither Man Utd, Juve or City have added a defender to their ranks so far – and there aren’t likely to be many better than Pavard available in the current transfer window.
Double exit will PAVE WAY for Amrabat arrival - Romano
Man Utd are waiting to offload Donny van de Beek and Fred before completing a move for Sofyan Amrabat, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The two midfielders have been deemed surplus to requirements at Old Trafford, with Van de Beek reportedly a target for Real Sociedad and Fred said to be of interest to Napoli.
Man Utd continue to be strongly linked with Fiorentina’s Amrabat – who helped Morocco to an historic World Cup semi-final last year – as an upgrade in the middle of the park.
MORE: Man Utd and Liverpool on alert as transfer target REJECTS new contract
Romano has confirmed that Real Sociedad are ‘actively working’ on a deal for Van de Beek, adding that United will look to wrap up the transfer of Amrabat once they have sold the Dutchman and Fred.
For Van de Beek, a departure would mark the end of an ultimately disastrous chapter in his career: since arriving from Ajax three years ago, he’s made only 34 Premier League appearances for Man Utd (in addition to seven on loan at Everton in the latter part of the 2021/22 campaign).
American magnate could spring Man Utd TAKEOVER
Man Utd may have a new owner in Boston Celtics' Stephen Pagliuca.
The American private equity investor has confirmed that he is assessing options to make an approach in an unnamed Premier League club.
The Glazers put the club up for sale last November but are yet to announce a preferred bidder as the takeover saga has rumbled on.
The two biggest bidders at the table are Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, both of whom are the frontrunners.
Pagliuca, who also has a 55 per cent stake in Serie A club Atalanta, recently told Bloomberg about his hope of purchasing a side that are capable of qualifying for the Champions League.
He said: "A league like the Premier League, if three or four teams are owned by a sovereign with basically unlimited investment, to be in the Champions League there is basically only one spot left for the other 16 teams that don't have those kind of resources.
"We're assessing opportunities [in the Premier League]. I think there's a higher bar there than there would have been, in terms that you have to be sure you have an academy and a structure where you can keep up with the economic disparity.
Man Utd had interest in Arsenal star Balogun
Erik ten Hag had identified Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun as a possible transfer target for Manchester United earlier in the window.
The striker is expected to leave Arsenal this summer window after a trailblazing season for Reims last season, when he scored 22 goals in 39 games while on loan.
The Dutchman held interest in the Balogun but then opted to move for Hojlund instead - according to The Independent.
