Bayer Leverkusen manager Erik ten Hag is desperate to sign Rasmus Hojlund from Manchester United, according to a report, but the striker has already made his decision as Ruben Amorim’s recent comments on him come to light.
One of the many players who have failed to live up to expectations at Man Utd in recent years is Hojlund. The Denmark international joined Man Utd from Atalanta in the summer of 2023 for a total of £72million (€82.7m, $83.2m), including add-ons, and was supposed to take the Red Devils into a new and more glorious era.
Ten Hag was then the manager of Man Utd, and upon signing Hojlund, the Dutchman noted the striker’s ‘huge potential’, adding: “He is a real frontman. Very direct to the goal, very good presser, a physical presence.”
Hojlund, though, has failed to fulfil that potential at Man Utd so far and has scored just 26 goals and provided only six assists in 95 appearances for the Red Devils.
Man Utd manager Amorim has realised that Hojlund is not going to be able to get the team to the Premier League top four, with the Red Devils now in talks with RB Leipzig to sign Benjamin Sesko.
RB Leipzig have an interest in signing Hojlund in a potential swap deal for Sesko, but the Denmark international striker does not want to make the switch, according to talkSPORT.
Hojlund has also publicly said that he does not want to leave Man Utd, telling The Daily Mail last month: ‘My plan is very clear and that is for me to stay and fight for my spot whatever happens’.
However, Bayer manager Ten Hag is still keen on ‘a reunion with Hojlund’ and is ‘pushing hard’ to get a deal done for the 22-year-old, according to CaughtOffSide.
Ten Hag is said to be ‘a firm believer’ in the Denmark international striker’s potential and ‘wants to make him a cornerstone of his new attacking setup’ at Bayer.
CaughtOffSide has added that AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, and Eintracht Frankfurt are all keen on the striker, while sources have told TEAMtalk that Juventus are showing an interest in Hojlund amid uncertainty on the futures of Dusan Vlahovic and Randal Kolo Muani, who spent the second half of last season on loan at the Italian club from Paris Saint-Germain.
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Man Utd want to sell Rasmus Hojlund
According to CaughtOffSide, Man Utd want to sell Hojlund in the summer transfer window.
The Red Devils are so desperate to cut their losses on the young Dane that they are ready to cash in on him for just £30m (€34.5m, $39.8m), according to The Sun.
Amorim himself has been noncommittal about the future of Hojlund, with reports suggesting that he is ready to let the striker go.
The Guardian quoted Amorim as saying about Hojlund on July 31: “I’m really happy with Rasmus, but I don’t know what is going to happen until the end of the market.
“The important thing is that Rasmus is scoring goals. He’s connecting really well with the team. He’s improving.
“I don’t know what is going to happen until the market is closed. We suffered a lot because of the lack of goals last season.”
Latest Man Utd news: Midfield shortlist, Benjamin Sesko boost
Man Utd have made a shortlist of three midfielders to sign before the summer transfer window after deciding to abandon their chase for a star player, who has since joined Tottenham Hotspur.
Benjamin Sesko is more inclined to join Man Utd than Newcastle United, with the RB Leipzig and Slovenia international striker’s agent revealing the two ways that the Red Devils can get the deal done.
Meanwhile, Man Utd boss Amorim has named the six players in his leadership group, including a star who nearly left Old Trafford.
What’s gone wrong for Hojlund at Man Utd?
By Nathan Egerton
United identified Hojlund as their top target in the summer of 2023 and were initially expecting to pay no more than £45million (€54m, $60.3m).
But they ultimately forked out an initial £64million (€76.3m / $79.5m) and another £8million (€9.6m/$9.9m) in potential add-ons to sign the striker from Atalanta.
It was a fee that raised eyebrows at the time, given the Denmark international scored nine goals in 32 Serie A appearances in his solitary season at Atalanta.
The big-money transfer also came 12 months after Atalanta paid a reported fee of just under £15million (€17.8m / $18.6m) to sign him from Austrian outfit Sturm Graz.
Hojlund initially struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League, failing to score in his first 14 appearances in the English top-flight.
He did impress in the Champions League and also enjoyed a promising second-half to the 2023/24 campaign, finishing his first season at United with 16 goals in all competitions.
But the 22-year-old has failed to kick on in his second term and his form has actually regressed, scoring just 10 goals in 52 appearances in all competitions.
Just four of those 10 goals have come in the Premier League, and he has failed to score in 49 of his 62 top-flight appearances for United.
Hojlund went on a run of 21 games in all competitions without a goal between December, when he scored against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League, and March, when he ended his drought against Leicester City.
The striker was once deemed as ‘unsellable’ by United but the club have reportedly changed their stance and will now consider offers.
He still has plenty of potential to improve but his value has undoubtedly dropped in the last 18 months and United will struggle to recoup their original transfer fee.