Serie A side Atalanta have turned down a €35 million offer from Manchester United for prodigious Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund.
According to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb, Atalanta have dismissed a lowball €35 million Manchester United opening bid for Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund. The Serie A outfit are holding out for a much higher fee and want at least €50 million as a fixed fee plus bonuses, which could take the total to €75 million.
It was a strong season for Manchester United, during which Erik ten Hag guided the storied club back to the Champions League with a third-place finish. However, now that they are in the Champions League, it is important to improve their depth. They won’t be able to rotate as much in Europe, and Marcus Rashford cannot play as many minutes as he did this term.
So the Red Devils desperately need another source of regular goals and are keen on bolstering their centre-forward department this summer. And it has recently been reported that Hojlund is the leading target for the club after deciding Harry Kane is not an option for them in their summer search for a striker.
Even though manager Erik ten Hag’s top target this summer is a centre-forward and the Dutchman is one of the England captain’s biggest admirers at Old Trafford, they have decided not to enter the bidding for Kane.
Hojlund joined Atalanta last summer from Sturm Graz. Since then, the 20-year-old Denmark international has scored nine goals in his first Serie A season, with the 6ft 1in striker impressing through his physicality, aerial ability, and movement. And his performances have attracted the attention of Erik ten Hag’s side.
It recently came to light that Manchester United were lining up an opening bid of €60 million plus bonuses for the Dane. The report from TMW, though, claims the offer the Serie A side rejected was just for €35 million. While Manchester United are not keen on paying over the odds for Hojlund, he is contracted with the Italian club until 2027, which means Atalanta are in a strong position to dictate his price tag.
Manchester United will have known the lowball first offer was unlikely to be accepted; that is just part and parcel of the negotiating strategy. However, this comes as a frustration to the Old Trafford faithful and Erik ten Hag, who would have ideally wanted all new recruits before pre-season.
With takeover talks ongoing in the background, it looks like the Glazers are not intending to invest heavily in the playing squad, which is why we are seeing such lowball bids from the Red Devils for priority targets like Mason Mount and Hojlund, while Bayern Munich have recently stolen the march in pursuit of another of Manchester United’s top centre-back targets, Kim Min-jae.
Hojlund recently signed with the agency SEG, who also represents Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag, hinting at the first steps towards a potential summer switch. But if Atalanta stick to their lofty valuation, the Glazers will surely consider pulling the plug on the deal.
