Respected journalist David Ornstein has commented on Rasmus Hojlund’s future at Manchester United amid interest in Victor Osimhen.
The Red Devils invested an initial fee of around £64m to sign Hojlund from Serie A outfit Atalanta during the 2022 summer window. This deal could rise to around £72m with add-ons.
Man Utd – who sit second in our Premier League net spend table – arguably overpaid to sign Hojlund, who was a very inexperienced and unproven striker when he joined the Premier League giants.
United’s failings in the transfer market meant they had to rely on Hojlund before he was ready for such a significant role.
Hojlund made a decent account of himself during his debut season as his purple patch around the New Year contributed to his final tally of 16 goals in all competitions.
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However, Hojlund’s form has dramatically dipped this season as his goal in the 3-0 win against Leicester City ended a 13-game drought in the Premier League.
The 22-year-old’s poor form has fuelled reports linking him with a move elsewhere, with it claimed that he ‘would gladly’ return to Italy this summer.
The Red Devils need to offload unwanted talents to raise funds for summer signings and Hojlund would attract a sizeable fee.
A recent report claimed Hojlund could be included in a swap deal for Victor Osimhen, who is fourth in the ranking of this year’s top scorers in Europe.
Osimhen has been deemed Man Utd’s ‘dream’ signing‘, but Ornstein has explained why he cannot see this swap deal happening.
“Certainly an interesting proposition, I’m not sure how realistic it is. Manchester United spent 70-plus million pounds on Rasmus Hojlund,” Ornstein said on the Back Pages podcast.
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“He’s young, he’s just actually found the back of the net after a long drought against Leicester, and my presumption is they’ll be wanting to build with him, rather than bringing in a much older striker in what would be a complicated deal.
“I do expect Victor Osimhen to be on the move, given that Napoli let him go to Galatasaray and the future is really uncertain for him there.
“And Manchester United have been linked, but I’m not sure how realistic it is that Manchester United would let go of Rasmus Hojlund.
“He is one who would raise some funds, but he would not produce a profit on the book value that he represents.
“So I think it’s more likely that United will raise funds from elsewhere, as attractive a deal as that might sound for transfer lovers.”
