Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been in regular contact with Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund to persuade him to join the club in place of Paris Saint-Germain.
Erik ten Hag has held video calls with Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund to convince him to join Manchester United from Paris Saint-Germain despite late transfer interest.
The Atalanta striker is set to be United’s third signing this summer. Attacking midfielder Mason Mount completed his move to Old Trafford earlier this summer before the club also signed goalkeeper Andre Onana from Inter Milan.
There is no problem for the player with an outstanding deal. Hojlund has already agreed to the terms of a five-year deal – but the striker’s inclusion in Atalanta’s transfer rating won’t be tolerated. United learned their lesson from last summer’s transfer window, when it took the club months to reach an agreement with Barcelona to sign midfielder Frenkie de Jong. However, no movement materialized and the player ultimately decided to stay at the Camp Nou.
Ten Hag went to this window with a clear plan, not just about which players he wanted at Old Trafford, but how to sign them. In a similar approach to Mount and Onana, transfer guarantees were sought from players before the club formally began negotiating a fee with their respective clubs.
As described by the Manchester Evening News, Ten Hag spoke to Hojlund via video call about selling United as a club and his vision as a manager. This has allowed John Murtough to focus specifically on negotiations with Atalanta, with whom United have strong ties following the Amad deal three years ago.
United’s plan is to sign Hojlund within a week, so they’re adjourned on their Premier League home opener against Wolves. Ten Hag believes Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial could also fill the No9 role, but the Dane will be a regular in his preferred starting lineup.
Hojlund impressed in his debut season in Bergamo after joining from Sturm Graz last summer. He scored nine goals and provided four assists in Serie A, also impressing his country in Euro qualifying. Speaking in January, Hojlund revealed his preference to join United: “Now that you ask, I won’t hide the fact that I’m a huge Manchester United fan. So personally it would be one of the biggest things for me, but that Doesn’t mean of course that I would turn down other big clubs if those offers come at some point.”
Hojlund impressed in his debut season at Bergamo after joining from Sturm Graz last summer. He scored nine goals and provided four assists in Serie A, while also impressing his country in European Championship qualifiers.
Speaking in January, Hojlund revealed his preference to join United: “Now that you ask, I won’t hide the fact that I’m a huge Manchester United fan. So personally it would be one of the biggest things for me, but that Doesn’t mean of course that I would turn down other big clubs if those offers come at some point.”
