With a revitalised front three, Manchester United now have little use for Rasmus Hojlund.
The Danish striker netted only four Premier League goals last season and, having brought in Benjamin Sesko as a new marquee centre-forward, the Red Devils are looking to offload him.
In demand in Italy
United signed Hojlund from Serie A side Atalanta after a brief but promising stint in the Italian top flight. While he has failed to flourish in England, the 22-year-old still has admirers in Italy.
Atalanta are reportedly interested in bringing the player back to the Gewiss Stadium, and reigning champions Napoli are suddenly eyeing him as an emergency replacement for the injured Romelu Lukaku.
AC Milan were thought to be leading the race for the Dane, but claims earlier today indicated that Hojlund is not the first choice of manager Massimiliano Allegri, who prefers Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.
AC Milan stepping back
Following these revelations, Italian journalist Rudy Galleti has dropped the bombshell that AC Milan are “stepping back from the race” to sign Hojlund to focus on other targets.
Galleti indicates that the Rossoneri are put off not by the player but by United’s demands, which he states are for a permanent deal or loan with obligation to buy.
He notes that the situation “could change later in the window”, but for now AC Milan are going after other targets.
🚨‼️ Man UTD and Højlund remain firm: only permanent deals or loans with an obligation to buy to evaluate a move, as revealed.
The situation could change late in the window, but not now.
❌ Under these terms, AC Milan are stepping back from the race to focus on other targets. pic.twitter.com/2scq9WdrFX
— Rudy Galetti (@RudyGaletti) August 20, 2025
In a second update, he notes that the club are in talks for Bayer Leverkusen forward Victor Boniface and that a transfer for the Nigerian seems to be getting closer.
Galleti’s report is slightly surprising as Milan’s actions suggest something has changed with regards to a deal for Hojlund, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Ever since it became apparent that the Red Devils were looking to shift the striker it has been widely reported that a permanent sale or loan with obligation to buy would be the terms of a deal.
More likely, the Serie A giants are playing games to try and drive the price down, or have simply moved on to a different target such as Boniface or Vlahovic.
Featured image Richard Heathcote via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
