Manchester United have reached a full agreement with Atalanta to sign forward Rasmus Hojlund, who is said to have already settled on personal terms with the Red Devils. United have been in the market for a new first-choice striker all summer and took a liking to Hojlund after he excelled in Serie A last season, with the 20-year-old widely considered to be among Europe’s finest young marksmen.
Hojlund scored 16 goals in 42 appearances in all competitions for Atalanta as they secured a fifth-placed finish in Italy’s top tier, which was enough to pique United’s interest in their efforts to sign at least one extra attacker. They have since reached a full agreement to sign the forward.
Multiple outlets, including BBC Sport, are reporting that United will pay around £72million in exchange for Hojlund’s signature, with the Dane set to sign a five-year contract at Old Trafford which includes the option to extend it by a further year. The two clubs are poised to exchange documents in the next 24 hours, according to Fabrizio Romano, which could see Hojlund officially unveiled by the Red Devils over the coming days.
He reportedly agreed personal terms with United around ten days ago and only wanted to join them despite reports earlier this week claiming that his representatives had been speaking to Paris Saint-Germain. The next step for United will be to book a medical for Hojlund, who will be expected to provide the goals alongside the likes of Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes next season.
Hojlund was left out of Atalanta’s squad to face Bournemouth in a pre-season friendly earlier on Saturday, with his absence fuelling rumours that a move to United was imminent. The Italian heavyweights already look to have signed his long-term replacement after completing a club-record deal to land El Bilal Toure from Almeria on Saturday morning.
It remains to be seen how Hojlund will fare at United, who have been crying out for a natural striker to lead the line for them since Cristiano Ronaldo left the club in December. They went on to sign Wout Weghorst on loan from Burnley in January but were always expected to be in the running for a stronger option in attack this summer.
Hojlund previously hinted that he would be willing to join United after revealing back in January that he is a lifelong supporter of the club, saying: “Now that you ask, I will not hide the fact that I am a huge Manchester United fan, so personally it would be one of the biggest things for me.”
The man from Copenhagen will become United’s third summer signing once the formalities of his impending move to Old Trafford are completed, following in the footsteps of Mason Mount and Andre Onana by joining Erik ten Hag’s squad. Hojlund was said to have been identified as the Dutchman’s first-choice attacking target and will be looking to hit the ground running in England when the new Premier League season gets underway next month.
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