Manchester United aren’t expected to sign Wout Weghorst after he failed to score a single Premier League goal this season while Anthony Martial ended the campaign with only six goals in the top-flight, so Erik ten Hag recognises the need to bring in a prolific striker this summer.
And while United have Harry Kane top of their wishlist, they may not be willing to match his £100m asking price. Waiting for his deal to run down in 2024 isn’t the best plan either as clubs are swarming for his signature, so Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic says the Red Devils have another target – Rasmus Hojlund.
The 20-year-old rose through the ranks at FC Copenhagen, impressing at Sturm Graz before joining Atalanta in 2022. He’s gone on to make 34 appearances in all competitions for the Italian outfit, scoring 10 goals with four assists.
Hojlund, who boasts five goals in four games for Denmark, scored 15 goals in 27 games for Copenhagen U19s, and netted 12 goals in 21 games for Sturm Graz, so he’s been prolific from a young age. That being said, he’s young and doesn’t have a scoring record like Kane, so expectations should be realistic.
United averaged only 1.5 goals per game in the league, however, so they do need to show more in the final next season. The Red Devils want to challenge on all fronts in 2023/24, but they won’t stand a chance of success if they don’t have a reliable centre-forward. Martial is their only senior centre-forward and he has an uncertain future.
Kane would be a great replacement as he’s scored 17 goals or more in every season since 2014, but Hojlund has potential and nine years on the England international. Atalanta paid €17m (£14.6m) for the Dane but are requesting more than £40m, according to John Cross of the Mirror days ago.
The latter is reportedly keen to make the switch to Old Trafford, but time will tell who United go for. They have plenty of time.
