Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag wanted a new striker through the door before the club’s Premier League opener against Wolves.
The Glazers and the Manchester United hierarchy look set to deliver what Erik ten Hag has been holding out for ahead of the new Premier League season. That’s because Rasmus Hojlund has agreed a deal to sign for the Old Trafford outfit, which would finally bring an end to Ten Hag’s gruelling pursuit of a new No.9.
United have had to endure various obstacles in their quest for a marquee centre-forward but the club are now finally approaching the end game.
Hojlund, who is currently in the UK after travelling with current side Atalanta to the South Coast to face Bournemouth in a pre-season friendly, has agreed a £72m deal with Utd.
Following progress in negotiations between United and Atalanta, the Italian side decided to leave him out of their match-day squad for the contest. And now he’s on the brink of being announced at Old Trafford as Utd sealed a £64m agreement plus £8m in potential add-ons.
According to a recent report from The Telegraph, Ten Hag was determined to land the player before the start of the new Premier League season.
United take on Wolves at Old Trafford on August 14 and now Hojlund is on course to be part of the squad.
Ten Hag has been forced to experiment in pre-season and has even utilised Jadon Sancho as a false-nine to try and account for the fact he is missing a striker. Now things could be about to change.
Next for Hojlund will be the medical, with United hoping to wrap up the deal over the next 48 hours or so.
Although PSG were firmly interested and held extensive conversations with the player’s reps, Hojlund has only wanted to join United.
He is a self-confessed United fan and has already spoken to Ten Hag about the project, where he could become central.
Considering United were supposedly tight of funds heading into the summer window, a £160m transfer war-chest from the Glazers isn’t bad going.
Sales will now have to take precedence and there is still a chance another defensive midfielder and backup goalkeeper could arrive in the weeks before the September 1 transfer deadline.
A new striker has been viewed as the missing piece of the jigsaw for United in many ways as they have lacked a guaranteed goal output in the past few seasons.
There has been an extra reliance on the brilliance of Marcus Rashford to find the net and now Hojlund could be the man to step up to the plate – even if he only managed nine Serie A goals last season.
He is clearly a player whose numbers are likely to explode in the coming years, particularly in the company of extra quality and world-class players such as Bruno Fernandes.
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