AC Milan are ramping up their attempts to sign Manchester United misfit Rasmus Højlund after facing competition from Serie A rivals Napoli, a report has revealed.
The Denmark international has been ushered toward the Old Trafford exit door all summer. Despite repeatedly stating his desire to stay and fight for his place, Ruben Amorim has offered him no reassurances. Milan have openly revealed their admiration for Højlund, who is thought to finally be grasping the less than subtle hints thrown his way by United.
A return to Serie A appears to be the 22-year-old’s most likely exit route. Højlund’s former employers Atalanta are the latest side to be credited with interest in the misfiring forward, while Napoli are thought to have reignited an approach of their own following the serious muscular injury to starting striker Romelu Lukaku.
Milan have the upper hand, according to Gazzetta dello Sport. United and Milan are said to be lined up over the terms over a loan deal which includes an obligation to buy that will be triggered if certain criteria are met. A sum of €40 million (£34.5 million, $46.6 million) has been floated.
Despite some reports to the contrary, Højlund is hailed as Milan’s “Plan A” option. Juventus’ wantaway striker Dušan Vlahović has emerged as the alternative should the Dane dig in his heels.
The best spell of Højlund’s brief senior career came in Italian football with Atalanta. At the start of 2023, the hard-running frontman racked up nine goals in 13 appearances for club and country which prompted wild comparisons to Manchester City’s rampant scorer Erling Haaland.
Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini fuelled the hype machine when he gushed: “He has very similar characteristics to Haaland. He is so quick, he’s under 11 seconds over 100m and that’s not even trying very hard. Considering his height, he has a low centre of gravity. I am convinced he’ll have a great career, he just gets stronger every day.”
Højlund has emphatically failed to live up to that lofty billing but could yet get back on track in the familiar surroundings of Serie A.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rasmus Hojlund ‘Accelerates’ Towards Man Utd Exit Amid Two-Way Tussle.
