Agent Ronaldo helping Man Utd and Real Madrid sign Hojlund

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 28 Mar 2023 09:00 BST
• 2 min read

Manchester United and Real Madrid have both been given a boost in their hopes of landing Atalanta sensation Rasmus Hojlund this summer – thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Hojlund leads Ronaldo in the early scoring charts in Euro 2024 qualifying. The Denmark international bagged a hat-trick against Finland before following it up with a double in Kazakhstan, while the Portuguese has netted twice against both Luxembourg and Lichtenstein.

If it is Hojlund leading the way in that race, though, Ronaldo may just have carved out the perfect career trajectory for the 20-year-old striker, whose performances in Serie A have seen him linked to a string of major clubs.

PROFILE: Who is Rasmus Hojlund?

Man Utd and Real Madrid are among these suitors, but there are also a number of other teams with a strong interest in the player. Arsenal and Newcastle from the Premier League have been associated with him regularly, while Italian clubs Juventus, Inter, Milan and Napoli are also thought to be watching him closely.

And Hojlund appears to have given Ronaldo’s two favourite clubs a boost in the transfer race.

“My idol is Cristiano Ronaldo. My father introduced me to him at Manchester United and I followed him to Real Madrid. I just like his mentality and I love that he's so eager to score goal. The thing for me is that he’s so passionate about wanting to be the best and I like it,” he told Serie A’s YouTube channel.

Hojlund, meanwhile, has admitted previously that his dream move is to Man Utd – but he is open to other big clubs.

MORE: Man Utd, Chelsea and Barcelona frustrated over World Cup star

Hojlund’s Smalling revelation

Meanwhile, Hojlund revealed that another former Manchester United man has been the toughest defender he has faced in Serie A to date.

"I think the guy I've had most trouble with so far is Chris Smalling,” he said of the Roma defender. “He was just more clever, smarter, he was also fast and strong. I couldn’t use my body as much, so I had to use some other ways and I never found the key for that.”

Hojlund has played 33 times for Atalanta and has scored 14 goals, with five more assists.