Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund could be destined to make his return to Italian football after two underwhelming years at Old Trafford.
The Denmark international cost the club’s coffers £72 million when making the move from Atalanta in the summer of 2023. The centre-forward may have shown some promising signs in the early going, but his performances plummeted last season, as he only managed to score 10 goals across all competitions, and only four in the Premier League.
Therefore, MUFC were keen to bring in an upgrade this summer. After missing out on several options, INEOS eventually found its man in Benjamin Sesko.
Hojlund is no longer needed at Man United
Since the Slovenian’s arrival, Hojlund has become surplus to requirements, as evidenced by his omission from the matchday squad on the opening day of the Premier League season against Arsenal.
Man Utd are hoping to sell the player before the end of the summer transfer session, and a return to Italy has been their best hope.
Hojlund was recently tipped to join AC Milan, but this possibility has now faded, with the Rossoneri finding an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen for Victor Boniface’s transfer.
But as they say, one door closes and another opens.
This has been the case for Hojlund who has now emerged as a priority target for Napoli. The Serie A champions are desperate to bolster their attack after losing Romelu Lukaku for several months due to an injury.
Napoli determined to land Rasmus Hojlund
According to Sky Sport Italia journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Napoli have intensified their attempts to secure an agreement with Man Utd for the striker’s transfer. The Italian giants believe they would be able to find an accord on the basis of an initial loan move with an option to buy at the end of the season.
The Partenopei are also confident they can persuade Hojlund to join them, as he would have the opportunity to play in the Champions League this season, which is certainly a brighter prospect than spending his campaign as a benchwarmer at Old Trafford.
Napoli have already brought in a striker this summer in the shape of Lorenzo Lucca, but they also sold Gianluca Raspadori to Atletico Madrid and Giovanni Simeone to Torino. Hence, Lukaku’s injury left Antonio Conte with only one centre-forward at his disposal, hence why they’re hellbent on adding a new bomber to the fold.
