Manchester United have identified Atalanta starlet Rasmus Hojlund as a leading candidate to solve their centre-forward woes and there has now been a significant update regarding the club's pursuit of the promising Dane…
What's the latest on Hojlund to Man United?
With a fee having seemingly been agreed with Inter Milan for the signing of Andre Onana, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed that United are also readying an offer for Hojlund, with the Bergamo-based outfit set to demand around €70m (£60m) for the 20-year-old striker.
Writing on Twitter, the respected insider revealed: "Manchester United are preparing their opening bid for Rasmus Højlund! Told personal terms are 100% agreed. He wants United. Atalanta told United they don’t want 3 players offered in the deal after initial talks. Asking price around €65/70m. Next step: official bid."
Fellow journalist David Ornstein has also claimed that personal terms have been agreed with the former Sturm Graz ace, albeit with Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain also in the running for the youngster's signature.
How many goals has Rasmus Hojlund scored?
There is undeniably a real buzz surrounding the 6 foot 3 marksman at present, with the in-demand ace having notably been likened to fellow Scandinavian star Erling Haaland in recent times, while also being dubbed "scary quick" by journalist Sacha Pisani due to his searing pace on the counter.
For all that excitement, there must also be a sense of trepidation at the prospect of United forking out a rather hefty fee for a player who has scored fewer goals in his senior career thus far than Haaland managed in a single season last term at Manchester City (52), with the six-cap Denmark international having scored 27 club goals across his time at Copenhagen, Sturm Graz and at Atalanta.
For his current side, the highly-rated speedster hardly set the world alight last term after bagging ten goals in all competitions for the Serie A outfit, with that perhaps why the Red Devils were previously said to have baulked at his prior €100m (£86m) asking price.
That was the fee which Erik ten Hag and co forked out in order to snap up Antony from Ajax last summer, with there perhaps concern that Hojlund could prove to be another expensive gamble for the Old Trafford outfit, as the Brazilian has been to date.
Despite having prior experience of working under Ten Hag in Amsterdam, the 23-year-old trickster endured a difficult debut season in English football after scoring just four goals and providing only two assists in 25 Premier League games.
For a player with such a sizeable transfer fee, fans and pundits alike are likely to have expected more from the mercurial winger, with the pressure now on for Antony to truly make his mark in his second season at the club.
With United no doubt eager to see an end to their decade-long wait for the title, investing so heavily in another relatively unproven talent like Hojlund may not be the answer in the short-term, at least, in that pursuit of glory.
That's not to say that the pacy left-footer – and Antony – can't come good after enduring a bedding in period at the Theatre of Dreams, yet if it is immediate success that Ten Hag is craving, then it remains to be seen if Hojlund is the man to lead that charge.