Man Utd tell Atalanta their ‘top price’ for Hojlund as ex-Red Devils striker warns of transfer risk
Former striker Louis Saha thinks signing Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta this summer would be a risk for Man Utd because of his lack of experience.
The Red Devils have made signing a new striker their next priority after completing deals for Mason Mount and Andre Onana from Chelsea and Inter Milan respectively.
Man Utd are still seeking to replace Cristiano Ronaldo with the Portuguese superstar leaving Old Trafford at the end of November last year.
The Premier League club agreed to terminate his contract after a controversial interview with Piers Morgan, in which Ronaldo criticised a number of staff and former players.
Wout Weghorst joined for the second half of last season, on loan from Burnley, but he has now returned to his parent club and Man Utd are now eyeing a permanent deal for Hojlund.
There had been links with proven talents like Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen but Man Utd are struggling to afford those deals.
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Saha thinks a potential deal for Hojlund is “a very interesting move” but has warned that his lack of experience could count against him.
“A player with more experience in the Premier League would be better and I’d prefer it, but that’s the situation,” Saha told Paddy Power. “Manchester United need to decide what their real priority is, whether it’s someone that will have an instant impact, or someone for the future.
“If you look at his record, he’s not scored as many goals as he would’ve liked, but the style of play at Atalanta shows that he is capable of leading the line. He is very strong and has a great left foot.
“He is very mobile and provides a lot of space for the kind of wingers that Manchester United have. It’s a very interesting move.”
Man Utd are yet to make an official offer for Hojlund but Fabrizio Romano has told his followers on Twitter to expect a bid soon with the Red Devils preparing their opening proposal.
There have been rumours that Atalanta have placed a €100m (£85.5m) price tag on the Dane’s head but Football Insider claim that Man Utd have selected a ‘top price’ they won’t exceed.
The report claims that the Premier League outfit ‘believe a price of £50-60million would be a fair valuation’ for Hojlund and that the Red Devils are ‘wary about paying over the odds for the 20-year-old having already spent a sizeable amount of their budget’.
