After signing midfielder Mason Mount from Chelsea and André Onana from Inter Milan, Erik ten Hag is bringing his A game to pen a deal with Danish striker Rasmus Højlund from Italian Serie A club Atalanta and solve Manchester United‘s striker issues that occurred in the 2022/2023 Season this time around. In addition to a packed pre-season tour, the 53-year-old Dutch manager and the Red Devils are also having a busy transfer window as many high-profile names have either left or ready to leave Manchester United this summer.
Manchester United Submitted First Bid for Rasmus Højlund
Under new manager Erik ten Hag, Manchester United finished third in the English Premier League, won the EFL Cup and reached the final and quarter-final of the FA Cup and UEFA Europa League respectively. The season was reasonably satisfactory for Manchester United’s spectators, but the team will have lots of catching up to do if it wishes to reclaim the league title in the coming season, especially in its attacking department.
For a team that has only scored a mere 58 goals in 38 matches on its way of a third-placed finish in the Premier League last season, Manchester United would need to first tackle its striker issues, and several names have been mentioned to improve the squad’s finishes in the coming season, including Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane and Atalanta’s Rasmus Højlund. Nevertheless, with Spurs‘ chairman Daniel Levy unwilling to compromise on the stance of the England national captain, Erik ten Hag’s next preferred choice would be the 20-year-old Copenhagen-born Rasmus Højlund.
In relation to this, Manchester United, who has agreed on personal terms with the young Rasmus Højlund on a five-year long-term deal, submitted a verbal bid to Italian Serie A’s Atalanta for its striker. According to famous Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United’s bid structure for Rasmus Højlund is worth €60 million in total (€50-million fixed fee + add-ons around €10 million).
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Paris Saint-Germain Ready to Hijack Rasmus Højlund
The €60-million bid from Manchester United for Danish striker Rasmus Højlund is likely to be turned down by Atalanta, since the latter had made it clear that it believed the 20-year-old forward is valued at €70 million or more in the beginning of the transfer window. To make matters worse for Manchester United, 11-time French Ligue 1 champion Paris Saint-Germain, who had lost Lionel Messi to David Beckham’s Inter Miami and bound to sell Kylian Mbappé this summer, is actively talking to Rasmus Højlund’s camp and most definitely has the monetary power to outbid the Red Devils in signing the Danish striker.
This means that Erik ten Hag’s side will have to act quick and smart to prevent a hijack by its French counterparts. If the Rasmus Højlund deal does collapse for Manchester United at the end, it has been reported that the Red Devils will likely pursue back-up options such as Eintracht Frankfurt’s striker Randal Kolo Muani or Mohammed Kudus from Ajax.
Manchester Utd have Sofyan Amrabat in their list as reported in June — no news on deal being closed. 🔴🇲🇦
No official bid sent yet as deal will not be closed this week.
Priority new striker — then outgoings as can confirm again that Fred will leave.
…then, midfielder talks. pic.twitter.com/3tBihuoIrE
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 24, 2023
Will Sofyan Amrabat Join Manchester United?
Having been without a proper striker, Manchester United lost its last two pre-season matches at the hands of Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham A.F.C. and Real Madrid with score lines of 3-1 and 2-0 respectively, meaning Erik ten Hag would have to solve his striker issues with the clock ticking towards the 2023/2024 Season. On the other hand, the Dutchman is not only concerned about his starting forward options, but also looking forward to bring in a central defensive midfielder to his Red Devil squad and offload the heavy central defensive duties shouldered by Brazilian star Casemiro soon.
A player that has interested the 53-year-old Manchester United gaffer is none other than Moroccan Sofyan Amrabat from another Serie A club Fiorentina. The 26-year-old has impressed the world when he led Morocco to a historical first semifinal finish for an African country in the FIFA World Cup last year, and it has been reported that talks have already begun between the 13-time Premier League champion and the midfielder’s camp. As things stand, no agreements have been made between both parties as the Red Devils want to resolve their attacker issue first before advancing further for the €30-million-rated midfield player.
Should Manchester United be able to bring in players like Rasmus Højlund and Sofyan Amrabat this summer, what place do you think the Red Devils will end up at in the English Premier League next season? Leave us your thoughts in the comment section below.
