After weeks of speculation, Manchester United and Atalanta have finally agreed on a Rasmus Højlund transfer fee. The past few weeks have seen various rounds of negotiations between the two clubs with Atalanta holding out for a package of €90m. In the end, a deal worth €85m has been agreed with the structure of the deal in place.
Manchester United will pay Atalanta €75m up front and then potentially a further €10m in the future if certain add-ons are triggered throughout the duration of the Dane's time at Old Trafford. Personal terms between Hojlund and Manchester United have been agreed for some time and he will put pen to paper on a five-year deal with the club in the coming days. The contract will also include the option of another year for both player and club if both parties are satisfied after the initial five years.
Coincidentally, Hojlund is already in England as Atalanta took on Bournemouth earlier today in a pre-season friendly at the Vitality Stadium. He was left on the substitutes bench for the entire game as the club nor the player wanted to risk an injury ahead of the move but the fact he is already in the country could mean that his medical is completed earlier than expected.
#mufc and Atalanta are closer to reaching an agreement for Rasmus Hojlund. He will not take part in their friendly game vs Bournemouth today to avoid any risk of injury [@FabrizioRomano] pic.twitter.com/lZUdUcCjbn
— utdreport (@utdreport) July 29, 2023
Even if United do get a medical sorted in the next day or two, Hojlund will not be joining up with his new teammates on their US pre-season tour. The Reds only have one game left on tour – against Borussia Dortmund on Monday – so he will wait in Manchester for their return. In theory, he could then play a part in one of United's final two pre-season games next weekend against either Lens or Athletic Bilbao.
Is Rasmus Hojlund worth €85m?
The overall fee for Hojlund is going to be a surprise for many people due to the fact he wasn't exactly one of Europe's most prolific strikers last season. He only managed nine league goals for Atalanta but if you look at the numbers behind those goals, then things certainly look a lot more positive.
In Serie A, he averaged a goal every 200 minutes which is around every two games and he wasn't on penalty duties for his club. At 20-year-old this is more than a good ratio and there is a belief that he could explode into one of Europe's hottest strikers under Ten Hag. Next season, the Dutchman will need to be careful with his new centre forward as expectations will be through the roof due to the transfer fee.
