Ten Hag tipped to swap Man Utd star for £50m striker target after ‘personal terms agreed’
Manchester United are reportedly considering using Amad Diallo as a makeweight in a deal for Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund.
It’s no secret that Erik ten Hag is keen to sign a quality centre-forward this summer and the Denmark international is one of his top targets.
Last season, Hojlund scored nine goals in 32 Serie A appearances and at the age of 20, he is only expected to improve as he gains experience.
As previously reported by Football365, Man Utd have reached a ‘verbal agreement on personal terms’ with Hojlund so the only thing left to negotiate is a transfer fee.
The Red Devils have already seen a £30m bid rejected for the striker and are hoping that £50m will be enough to secure his services.
READ MORE: Man Utd warned off ‘alarming’ Hojlund by man with no grasp of statistics
However, it seems Ten Hag has formulated a different plan to try and sign Hojlund this summer.
That is according to Sky Sports News, who claim that Man Utd could use Diallo to try and convince Atalanta to part ways with Hojlund.
The 20-year-old spent last season on loan with Sunderland where he scored 13 goals in 37 Championship appearances.
Diallo helped fire the Black Cats to the playoffs and remains highly regarded at the Stadium of Light.
As per Sky Sports’ report, Ten Hag wants to watch Diallo in pre-season before a decision is made but sending him on loan to Atalanta as part of the deal for Hojlund is a possibility.
Manchester United aren’t the only club in the race for the Serie A goalscorer. Arsenal have previously registered an interest in Hojlund so they could potentially make a late bid for the striker, although they have bigger transfer priorities at the moment.
The need for Man Utd to sign a new striker is clear – last season the Red Devils relied heavily on the goals of Marcus Rashford, who netted 30 in all competitions.
If Man Utd want to become Premier League title contenders again, Rashford could certainly do with some quality support alongside him.
Harry Kane and Randal Kolo Muani have been discussed by the Man Utd hierarchy but it seems Ten Hag has settled upon Hojlund as his priority.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if the Red Devils do use Diallo as part of the deal for the Atalanta star. If not, they may well have to pay £50m to secure his signature.
