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Who will lead Manchester United’s assault subsequent season stays a thriller.
Hyperlinks to prime strikers like Ollie Watkins and Benjamin Sesko persist, but Rasmus Hojlund may nonetheless keep put.
Heading into the summer time window, the expectation was that Hojlund can be moved on, his exit paving the way in which for a marquee striker signing.
Names like Viktor Gyokeres, Hugo Ekitike, and Liam Delap had been touted as main upgrades on the Dane.
However none arrived. As an alternative, they joined rival golf equipment.
INEOS’ striker chase has shifted from hopeful to irritating.
Whereas first rate choices stay available on the market, it’s nonetheless unclear whether or not United will decide to a brand new striker signing and that indecision is a part of why the membership stays undecided about Hojlund.
Ideally, he would have been bought. His 4 league objectives final season counsel he’s not the person to steer United’s line, and a recent begin may need served him properly.
Hojlund in demand
Curiously, Caught Offside experiences that United wouldn’t have struggled to money in on the striker this summer time.
They describe the 22-year-old as one of the crucial sought-after younger forwards in Europe:
“Bayer Leverkusen, led by former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, are among the many golf equipment pushing hardest to safe Hojlund’s signature,” the outlet claims.
“They’re not alone of their admiration. AC Milan, Inter Milan, Napoli, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, and Eintracht Frankfurt have all been preserving tabs on Højlund, because the race to signal the Denmark worldwide turns into one of the crucial hotly-contested tales of the switch window.”
Whereas such curiosity ought to be music to INEOS’ ears, there’s a concern that many of those golf equipment is not going to match their degree of curiosity with agency presents.
Hojlund: staying or leaving
United, eager to not seem determined, and maybe toying with the thought of preserving Hojlund, are holding agency.
As Caught Offside be aware:
“Man United are understood to be open to letting Hojlund go — however solely on their phrases (a everlasting exit for the fitting value).
“United [are] holding agency on their valuation and construction calls for, [so] negotiations are proving to be a significant stumbling block.
“United must handle rising curiosity whereas deciding whether or not to money in on Hojlund or give him extra time to develop in England.”
That powerful stance noticed Inter Milan, as soon as frontrunners within the Hojlund race, have their mortgage proposal swiftly rejected.
They didn’t return with a greater supply; as an alternative, they pivoted to a switch different.
With striker hyperlinks to Watkins and Sesko (and even Nicolas Jackson) nonetheless swirling, and curiosity in Hojlund rising, it is going to be fascinating to see if United soften their stance and compromise on the phrases of his exit.
Ultimately, it’s Hojlund’s destiny that ought to form Amorim’s attacking plans subsequent season.
Featured picture Alex Livesey through Getty Pictures
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