A transfer described by Fabrizio Romano as ‘really important’ for Manchester United is ‘almost guaranteed’ to happen, and the Red Devils won’t have regrets despite the criticism they might receive.
Man Utd turfed out plenty of unfancied stars over the summer, though not all left in permanent sales like Alejandro Garnacho and Antony.
Jadon Sancho joined Aston Villa in a straight loan. Marcus Rashford’s loan at Barcelona contains an option to buy worth €35m, while Napoli signed Rasmus Hojlund to a loan deal that contains a conditional obligation to buy.
For the Danish striker’s €44m / £38.3m move to turn permanent, Napoli must qualify for next season’s Champions League and Hojlund must make an as yet unspecified number of appearances.
But according to the latest from transfer guru Romano, Man Utd can all but bank on Hojlund leaving outright next summer.
“Napoli want to keep the player,” declared Romano on his YouTube channel. “Napoli trust Rasmus Hojlund, they see him as part of their long-term project.
“It’s a loan with buy option that might become an obligation, but it’s seen by all parties involved in this deal as a future permanent transfer almost guaranteed.
“Hojlund is doing very well, scored a brace in the Champions League, scored on his debut against Fiorentina and again against Genoa this weekend.
“So Napoli are very happy with Hojlund and Hojlund is very happy with Napoli… and the idea is to continue together, to sign the player on a permanent transfer.
“So Man Utd can already consider €6m for the loan fee and €44m for the future signing of Rasmus Hojlund. It’s really important news for Man Utd.”
Will Man Utd have regrets?
As mentioned, Hojlund has already bagged four goals during his loan stint in Naples. He’s almost half way to matching his goals tally from last season (10) and that came in 52 appearances.
Hojlund thriving away from Old Trafford may prompt queries of whether Man Utd should actually give up on the frontman who aged 23, still has his best years ahead.
United stars flopping at Old Trafford and then thriving elsewhere is not a new phenomenon. Antony shone during his loan spell at Real Betis last season, for example.
Nevertheless, Hojlund’s two-year stint in England proved he’s not the striker Man Utd require to put them back where they belong.
With Benjamin Sesko signed and TEAMtalk learning United will explore the striker market again in 2026, Hojlund’s time at Man Utd is rightly up, irrespective of how many goals he scores in the comparatively weaker Italian league this season.
Latest Man Utd news – Barcelona ‘enquiry’ / Lammens lauded
In other news, Sport claim Man Utd have made an ‘enquiry’ into the signing of Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
The stopper has fallen down the pecking order in Catalonia and a January transfer could be possible.
Elsewhere, the man Ter Stegen would theoretically punt back on to the bench, Senne Lammens, has been lauded for his debut performance against Sunderland.
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