On Thursday, it was reported Inter Milan are continuing to press for Rasmus Højlund, despite Manchester United being set against a loan.
The Red Devils’ valuation for the player has not budged from €45m. Even if that is a problem for the Nerazzurri, the belief was that they are aiming to use an initial loan deal to reduce the player’s overall value.
Today, the Italian media has pointed towards a sudden u-turn in Inter’s stance on Højlund.
Gazzetta dello Sport take note of how young striker Francesco Pio Esposito impressed in his performance against River Plate in the Club World Cup yesterday. He scored once and helped Cristian Chivu’s side to a very important 2-0 win.
The newspaper claim that the youngster has now done enough to stay at Inter beyond the summer transfer window. With Ange-Yoan Bonny also about to join Parma, the idea of signing Højlund from Manchester United is losing prominence.
Gazzetta’s front page states ‘Pio beats Højlund’.
Inter feel they don’t need a player of the Dane’s profile anymore if they’d have to invest in a permanent transfer. Esposito is proving capable of playing at the highest level, having done well during his loan at Spezia in the 2024/25 season.
As a result, the Nerazzurri’s move for the Manchester United player could be abandoned and the former Italian champions can look to improve other areas of the pitch.
It remains to be seen if the Red Devils’ asking price has played a role in this but the report is confident that this is simply a tactical decision.