Reliable journalist reveals ‘detailed Man Utd talks’ with £130m pair; one transfer ‘likelier’ than other
Man Utd have held “detailed talks” over potential transfers for Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani and Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund, according to The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell.
The Red Devils are in the market for at least one new striker in the summer transfer window with Erik ten Hag looking to take some of the goalscoring burden away from top goalscorer Marcus Rashford.
Man Utd were only able to bring in Wout Weghorst in the January transfer window as a temporary replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who left the club last November following a controversial interview with Piers Morgan.
Tottenham striker Harry Kane is their main target to replace Ronaldo this summer with Weghorst not likely to be in Ten Hag’s plans past this season.
But Man Utd would also like to bring in a young striker alongside Kane with Hojlund and Kolo Muani emerging as their top two candidates.
And The Athletic journalist Whitwell claims that the Red Devils ‘have held detailed talks over potential deals’ for the young duo and that Hojlund is ‘seen as the likelier player to join United at this stage’.
Man Utd are still unsure whether they will be able to convince Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy to sell Kane to them this summer, with Hojlund and Kolo Muani called ‘alternatives’ despite Ten Hag ideally looking ‘to bring in an experienced striker plus a younger one who can develop at United’.
Previous reports have indicated that Kolo Muani – who has been capped by France seven times – could be available for around £78m, while Hojlund would be a cheaper option with claims he could command a £52m fee.
Whitwell adds:
‘United’s ownership flux is adding some uncertainty to budgets but Ten Hag and the club’s recruitment staff are progressing on a basis of business as usual.
‘Murtough has spoken to Atalanta and Eintracht several times over Hojlund and Kolo Muani, respectively, with both clubs open to selling their players for the right price.’
But Danish pundit Jonas Hebo Goldmann thinks Hojlund should remain in Serie A but upgrade to a bigger club than Atalanta.
“There is no doubt that he is (on the radar) of the best clubs in the world. The most likely thing is that he will be sold this summer,” Hebo Goldmann told TV2 recently.
“But I think the right thing for Hojlund would be to choose another Italian club that is just one level above Atalanta. Possibly Inter, Juventus, Napoli or AC Milan. It will still be a step up. And, here, he will also avoid ending up as second choice in most places.”
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