Rasmus Hojlund is now on the cusp of joining Napoli on loan for the rest of the campaign.
Whilst Manchester United have sought to make it clear they’re not forcing their No.9 out the door this summer, it’s thought Hojlund has privately been informed that he would be playing a heavily reduced role if he decided to stay put over the next week.
The arrival of Benjamin Sesko, a like-for-like replacement at centre-forward, as well as Ruben Amorim’s recent tactical tweaks to shoehorn Matheus Cunha up front, means the Dane would rank significantly lower in the pecking order than he’d grown accustomed to last season.
As a result, Hojlund has begrudgingly engaged in negotiations with interested clubs, primarily AC Milan and Napoli.
Hojlund decides on Napoli move over AC Milan
Both sides would allow the 22-year-old to return to the Serie A, where he spent one term in 2022/2023 with Atalanta and returned nine goals.
For several days, it looked as though the San Siro would be Hojlund’s most likely destination, until an injury to Romelu Lukaku prompted Napoli to act on the market and seek a suitable replacement for their frontman as swiftly as possible.
Hojlund, valued at £40 million, found himself atop Antonio Conte’s shortlist and quickly gave his green light to a move to the Scudetto winners. However, he wanted his prospective loan transfer to include an obligation-to-buy so that he has assurances he won’t just be utilised as a stop-gap striker.
Napoli have provided him exactly that, as well as calling upon their midfield maestro Scott McTominay to reach out to his former teammate Hojlund and discuss them reuniting in Naples this week.
McTominay does his bit to secure Hojlund’s signature for Napoli
Corriere dello Sport claim McTominay had been utilised as something of a ‘secret agent’ to get the deal over the line, adding: “The spotlight is on negotiations with Manchester United, with Scott McTominay’s phone call potentially proving pivotal for securing the former Atalanta player’s move.
“Details confirm Napoli and Hojlund’s determination to complete the deal: the player is pushing for a permanent transfer or a loan with an obligation to buy.”
