Exciting News: Rasmus Højlund Clears Medical, Officially Becomes a New Man United Player!
Media duties done and contract signing in the next 24 hours — deal until 2028 with an option until 2029
Højlund completes his dream move to Theatre of Dreams… and Erik ten Hag has the striker he wanted
Manchester United have agreed to a £72 million transfer for Rasmus Hojlund, but the age difference between the Dane and the other players the club has signed in the past makes him an unusual acquisition.
Rasmus Hojlund’s impending £72 million transfer from Atalanta represents a departure in strategy for Manchester United, who have traditionally acquired more seasoned strikers.
Hojlund, who will soon join United after passing a medical, arrived in Manchester on Tuesday. After scoring 10 goals in 34 games for Atalanta last season, the Dane is set to sign a five-year contract with a one-year extension.
United will have three new players after he arrives, following Mason Mount’s £60 million transfer from Chelsea and Andre Onana’s £45 million move from Inter Milan. This brings the total amount spent by the Red Devils this summer to nearly £150m, despite Ten Hag having just about £120m to spend.
Since Cristiano Ronaldo left in November and Wout Weghorst returned to Burnley, Ten Hag has been on the lookout for a new striker. Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho have forced to play up top in pre-season because Anthony Martial, the club’s sole senior striker, has struggled with fitness.
After a long summer of looking, Ten Hag now has another proven striker in Hojlund, who isn’t the typical central forward United would sign. The Red Devils had only signed one forward younger than 23 in the previous decade.
Martial, then only 19, made the £35 million move from Monaco in 2015. The Frenchman has been dependable for the Red Devils over the years, scoring 88 goals in 298 games, but he has recently struggled to stay healthy and on the field. Following Martial in age came Romelu Lukaku, who was 24 years old.
United, meanwhile, has added six forwards older than 28 to its roster. United’s influx of new talent has yielded mixed results: 28-year-old Radamel Falcao, 35-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 30-year-old Odion Ighalo, 33-year-old Edinson Cavani, 36-year-old Ronaldo, and 30-year-old Wout Weghorst.
United had been interested in signing Harry Kane from Tottenham, giving them another seasoned striker option. Instead, the England international is edging closer to a move to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich ahead of a projected £90 million transfer.
But United are bringing in Hojlund, making him the club’s youngest senior striker signing since Anthony Martial in 2015. This is part of Ten Hag’s plan to bring down the average age of his Red Devils side. United play Lens in a preseason game at Old Trafford on Sunday, and Hojlund may be available to play.
Unless something unforeseen happens, the Denmark international will be available for United’s opening Premier League match against Wolves on August 14. United’s third-place result last season qualified them for the Champions League, where Hojlund will make his debut.
