Napoli are keen on Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund but would struggle to meet his €60m price tag, according to reports in Italy.
Hojlund has suffered badly with second season syndrome at Old Trafford, scoring just eight times in 39 games, but is attracting attention from the Serie A giants who are looking for more firepower to complement former United man Romelu Lukaku next season.
La Gazzetta dello Sport report that Antonio Conte’s outfit see the 22-year-old as a good fit for the role and he is one of two names to feature prominently on their list.
But the newspaper claim that United are asking for a “frightening” €60m as they look to avoid making a substantial loss on the player, who joined for up to £72m from Atalanta in 2023.
They explain that this is “a price outside the market for Serie A” but add that “these are the first exploratory contacts” and “there is still time until the summer.”
Should things change, it is suggested, they may be prepared to make their move. But the other name on their list, Udinese forward Lorenzo Lucca, is a cheaper and more attainable option who it seems could be secured with less fuss.
Much is made in the report of the Red Devils’ struggles this season, both on and off the pitch, and it is suggested that Hojlund is “one of the players United can sacrifice to balance the club’s accounts, which are in the red.”
Napoli are no strangers to United’s precarious financial position, having come close to a swoop for winger Alejandro Garnacho in January in what was felt to be a desperate attempt from INEOS to raise funds for reinvestment.
Gazzetta continue that while the money may be a problem for the Serie A title challengers, the player himself would not need much convincing, claiming that “he would gladly return to Italy.”
He has endured a torrid time in red this season with fans starting to lose patience with the centre-forward who could not score a goal.
Debate raged over whether he or the lack of service was to blame, and the toll it was taking on the young Dane was clear to see.
But he finally ended his Premier League goal drought at the weekend, netting in the 3-0 win over Leicester City, and if he can kick on and replicate the consistent goalscoring run he went on in February last year his difficulties may be quickly forgotten, by both player and fans.
Featured image Michael Regan 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.
