Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has been in regular contact with Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund to convince him to join the club instead of Paris Saint-Germain.
Erik ten Hag has held video calls with Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund to convince him to join Manchester United despite late transfer interest from Paris Saint-Germain.
The Atalanta striker is set to become United’s third arrival of the summer. Attack-minded midfielder Mason Mount completed his move to Old Trafford earlier this summer before the club also moved to sign goalkeeper Andre Onana from Inter Milan.
There is no issue on the player’s behalf for a deal being done. Hojlund has already agreed terms over a five-year contract – while they will not countenance being drawn into Atalanta’s transfer valuation of the striker.
United have learnt their lesson from last summer’s transfer window when the club spent months agreeing a deal with Barcelona to sign midfielder Frenkie de Jong. However, no move came to fruition with the player ultimately deciding to stay at the Camp Nou.
Ten Hag went into this window of a clear plan not only of what players he wanted at Old Trafford but of how to sign them. In a similar approach to Mount and Onana, the player’s guarantees of a move were sought before the club began formally negotiating a fee with their respective clubs.
As detailed by the Manchester Evening News, Ten Hag has spoken to Hojlund over video call to sell United as a club and his vision as a coach. That has allowed John Murtough to deal specifically with negotiations with Atalanta, whom United have strong relations following their deal for Amad three years ago.
United’s plan is to sign Hojlund within the next week and for him to be up to speed for their Premier League opener at home to Wolves. Ten Hag believes Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial can also fill in for the No.9 role but the Dane will be a starter in his preferred starting line-up.
Hojlund has impressed in his debut season in Bergamo having joined from Sturm Graz last summer. He bagged nine goals and provided four assists in Serie A while also impressing his nation in the European Championships qualifiers.
Speaking back in January, Hojlund revealed his preference for joining United: “Now that you ask, I will not hide the fact that I am a huge Manchester United fan. So personally, it would be one of the biggest things for me, but of course, that doesn’t mean that I would turn down other big clubs if the offers come at some point.”
Hojlund has dropped another huge hint over his desire to complete the move with his Instagram activity; the striker ‘liked’ a post showing United boss Erik ten Hag welcoming goalkeeper Andre Onana following his transfer being completed. The caption, from the club’s official account, read: “The moment we were waiting for.”
Source: mirror.co.uk
