Manchester United are starting to expedite their pursuit of a striker as Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund continue to be unlikely cogs in Ruben Amorim’s lond-term plans at the club. While Viktor Gyokeres had been rumoured to be a hot target for the Portuguese coach, the Red Devils have started being heavily linked with Victor Osimhen lately.
According to journalist Luca Cerchione (h/t GiveMeSport), Manchester United are ‘advancing’ in their attempt to sign Osimhen from Napoli in a swap deal that would see Hojlund go the other way. As per the source, the Danish international is a striker ‘Conte likes a lot’ and with United also prepared to offer £33 million in cash, the Serie A giants could be tempted to get the move done.
Hojlund has failed to deal with the intensity of the Premier League with only two goals to his name this season after a few very good years at Atalanta. Osimhen, on the other hand, also remains out of Napoli’s plans and is spending the ongoing campaign at Galatasaray on loan, where he has scored 23 goals and provided five assists in all competitions.
A win-win situation for all parties concerned
Manchester United co-owned Sir Jim Ratcliffe admitted that the club is likely to have to sell players to be able to afford any new signings this summer, so getting rid of Rasmus Hojlund, especially in a swap deal for Victor Osimhen works extremely well. In parting ways with the Dane, the Red Devils would also erase off a £4.4 million annual wage liability.
And though Osimhen’s salary demands will be far higher than what Hojlund currently earns, United would be better positioned to acquire him with there being an air of confidence in the Nigerian’s abilities to perform better than the former Atalanta star too. He has proven himself for a number of seasons and his physicality, hold-up play and finishing will be an asset for the team.
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Hojlund also would be able to return back to a league where he has thrived and at the age of 22, he has enough time to reignite his career in a relatively familiar setting. Considering how some players have performed after departing Old Trafford in recent times, it would not come as a surprise if the £72 million star is also able to find his feet at a different club.
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