Manchester United have come up with a big for Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund but the Serie A club rejected it straightaway, as per The Athletic.
Signing a new striker is a priority for Erik ten Hag, and he has earmarked the highly-rated young striker as a potential option.
The Athletic claims that the Red Devils have offered players in part exchange for Hojlund during their transfer talks but the Italian outfit are only interested in cash payments.
With several players up for sale, United floated the idea of player-plus-cash swap deals for Hojlund, while players were offered on loan as well.
The likes of Fred and Donny van de Beek are available in the market, but Atalanta want to be paid the fee for Hojlund in full. They feel that part-exchange deals are complex to pull off.
The Serie A club have placed a €100m (£85.5m) price on the 20-year-old’s head, as per the report, and Man United are not willing to meet that valuation.
United need to act smart
The Red Devils have already signed Mason Mount from Chelsea but they are struggling to pull off deals for other targets. Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana is a top target for them, but they haven’t been able to strike a deal as yet.
The Athletic claims that last week Man Utd made a verbal offer for Onana worth €45million (£38.6m) but it is nowhere near Inter’s valuation which is around €60m (£51.2m).
While there is a belief a fee in the middle would suit both parties, United need to rethink their strategy to sign a new striker. Obviously, it doesn’t make sense to pay £85m for a relatively inexperienced player, just as it makes little sense to pay over £100m for Harry Kane.
If Atalanta do not reduce their asking price, there’s no point negotiating a deal. There are plenty of top strikers elsewhere and Man United should look to bring them to Old Trafford.
