Man Utd: Red Devils ‘give the OK’ to shock Real Madrid loan deal as Xabi Alonso makes ‘request’

Real Madrid are interested in bringing Man Utd striker Rasmus Hojlund to Spain in the summer transfer window, according to reports.

The Red Devils have had a terrible season with Ruben Amorim’s side going down as the worst Man Utd side to have played in the Premier League era.

Man Utd finished 15th in the Premier League with the Red Devils finishing the season on 42 points from 38 matches after picking up just 11 wins all campaign.

One particular concern this season has been goalscoring with only Everton, Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton the only four teams to have scored fewer goals than Man Utd in the Premier League.

Joshua Zirkzee and Hojlund have come in for plenty of stick this season with the young duo scoring just seven Premier League goals between them in 2024/25.

There have been rumours that Hojlund will move back to Serie A, where he has played for Atalanta previously, with Inter Milan understood to be very interested.

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But not Spanish publication Defensa Central claim that Real Madrid have ‘Hojlund’s loan in their sights’ and that Man Utd ‘give the OK’ for a deal to proceed.

Los Blancos ‘could secure Hojlund’s loan to bolster their forward line for next season’ with ‘the option of United loaning the player out next season to increase his value is on the table.’

New Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso has made a ‘request for a striker’ and the Spanish giants ‘would only have to cover the player’s salary’ if they signed Hojlund.

For his part, Man Utd striker Hojlund – who signed for the Red Devils from Atalanta in the summer of 2023 for a fee of £72m – ‘would be delighted to join Real Madrid , despite having a very secondary role’.

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But former Man Utd midfielder Paul Scholes reckons the Red Devils should “keep” Hojlund and bring in another striker to help him.

Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, Scholes said: “I’d keep Hojlund. I know he’s not been great but he’s a 22-year-old kid who has been asked to play centre-forward for Manchester United on his own for the last two years.

“He’s had to play every week. He’s the only one there. He’s a 22-year-old kid. With the way they play, Man United should have at least three top centre-forwards, and I’d bring him into that.

“Get Osimhen and Gyokeres. Hojlund, he’s struggled like mad of late especially, but he’s not got the chance to sit down and watch.

“If a striker is not doing well, no confidence, the manager sits you down and says, ‘have a look, get a bit of hunger back, a bit of feeling back for the game.’

“We all know he has got centre-foward qualities, we’ve seen it. Not enough, I nknow that, but if he has got experience around him…

“Say he had Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke around him, it’d bring him on so much. He’s been absolutely flogged to death.

“People forget how old he is. A lot of it is confidence.”