Manchester United remain in contact with Eintracht Frankfurt over a possible summer deal for £80 million-rated striker Randal Kolo Muani as a fallback option to top target Rasmus Hojlund.
Manchester United are still considering making a move for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani as they struggle to agree a fee for Rasmus Hojlund, according to Football Insider. And they are in contact with the club and the player.
Manchester United have made a solid start to the summer window, with former Inter Milan shot-stopper Andre Onana becoming their second summer signing following the arrival of Mason Mount from Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Randal Kolo Muani, who helped his country to the World Cup final, scored 23 goals in 45 appearances for Frankfurt across all competitions last season. And he also chipped in with the most assists in the Bundesliga (14). Overall, he contributed to 40 goals across all competitions.
Needless to say, the striker has attracted a lot of attention from Europe’s elite, with the likes of PSG and Juventus also having been linked with an interest. And he is also a target for Manchester United.
There were reports early in the window that Manchester United were also keen on the France international. But a mooted price tag of £80 million from Eintracht Frankfurt seemed to put any concrete approach to a halt. And they turned their attentions to Rasmus Hojlund, who has already agreed personal terms with the Red Devils.
The main problem appeared to be around Atalanta’s demands. La Dea are unwilling to lower their asking price of £86 million, which is obviously ludicrous for an unproven diamond in the rough with only nine Serie A goals to his name.
Another concern for Manchester United is now PSG and their desire to bring Hojlund to Parc des Princes. The Parisians have put Kylian Mbappe up for sale after leaving the Frenchman out of their pre-season tour and want him gone as soon as possible.
Then, according to reports in France, PSG view Hojlund as a potential Mbappe replacement and are willing to pay £60 million to steal the march on Manchester United. The reigning Ligue 1 champions are also willing to include wonderkid Hugo Ekitike in the deal, which could swing things in their favour.
Atalanta already held an interest in the former Reims striker as a Hojlund replacement. So this could lead the Parisians to effectively hijack Manchester United’s move for the Danish striker. As such, Manchester United do not want to get into a bidding war with PSG and are holding parallel discussions with Kolo Muani, who would be an exciting addition and, like Hojlund, is the sort of player that could thrive under Erik ten Hag.
The 24-year-old is also much more developed than Hojlund at this point in time. And a 40-goal contribution season means he’s already producing elite output. Whether the Red Devils would find it easier to strike a deal with Frankfurt than they did with Atalanta remains a question for another time.
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As things stand, they are still continuing to negotiate over a price tag with Atalanta but could be forced to move on to alternative targets if a breakthrough in talks is not found soon.
