Manchester United have tabled an offer to Napoli of €40 million plus Rasmus Hojlund in a part-exchange deal for Victor Osimhen, according to a report from Italy.
Daniel Longo (Calciomercato) reveals the Red Devils have made a “first offer” for the Nigerian striker which would see the club’s current number nine head in the opposite direction.
The report describes Hojlund as a “disappointment” with United head coach Ruben Amorim “not satisfied” with a number of his players, including the Danish striker. Longo contends the 22-year-old has “not convinced” Amorim with Old Trafford officials searching for a new striker in the summer to improve the team’s misfiring attack.
United are currently languished in 14th in the Premier League with a negative goal difference and twelve losses already this season. Only five sides have scored fewer times than the Reds, with Hojlund and fellow striker Joshua Zirkzee combining for just five league goals.
Osimhen, by contrast, has 14 goals in 19 games in the Super Lig for Galatasaray after joining the Turkish champions on loan in the summer. The Nigerian international will return to Naples at the end of the season, however, and the 26-year-old has a release clause worth in the region of £65 million which becomes active in the summer.
This has put a number of clubs across Europe on red-alert given the paucity of reliable goal-scorers on the market at present, including Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and, of course, United. But the precarious financial situation at Old Trafford will limit the Reds’ ability to spend heavily in the transfer market this summer.
Furthermore, there are a number of position in Amorim’s side which require upgrades for the 40-year-old coach to successfully implement his 3-4-2-1 system, including right wing-back, central midfield, and a centre-forward.
As such, it makes sense for United to target Osimhen while using Hojlund as a makeweight to drive down the price, enabling the club’s budget to stretch to these other areas of the pitch.
Napoli hold a long-standing interest in Hojlund after the Dane established himself at Serie A rival Atalanta and the 22-year-old retains many admirers in Italy, despite his dismal form in England this season.
Longo reveals United will look to utilise this interest in Naples with an exchange offer of €40 million plus Hojlund for Osimhen. This price – £33 million – would be around half that of the Nigerian’s reported release clause, constituting a significant saving for the Mancunian club.
Whether this offer will be accepted at the Diego Armanda Maradona Stadium remains to be seen, however.
A report relayed by The Peoples Person – revealing Napoli would only consider an approach for Hojlund at a “fraction” of the £72 million price United originally paid for the 22-year-old – would suggest not.
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
