Rasmus Højlund is reportedly on the cusp of leaving Manchester United to sign for Napoli on favourable economic terms for all involved.
The Dane has previously expressed his desire to remain at Old Trafford and fight for his starting spot even when repeatedly presented with a distinct lack of reassurance from those in Manchester. Following the £73 million ($98.3 million) acquisition of Benjamin Šeško, Højlund’s stance appears to have softened.
A return to Serie A for the former Atalanta forward is widely expected to be the next stop on a winding career path for the 22-year-old. AC Milan were billed as the favourites to snap up Højlund, yet Napoli are now thought to be “confident” of winning the race for signature, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Discussion were ramped up in the aftermath of Romelu Lukaku’s serious muscular injury which left the defending Serie A champions with Lorenzo Lucca as the only senior striker. There is plenty of the 6’7” giant to go around, but Antonio Conte will likely need more than one centre forward to call upon over the first half of the season.
These negotiations between Højlund and Napoli are thought to be in their “final stages” and Gazzetta dello Sport claim that the Denmark international stands to earn a consideration wage increase, bumping up his current annual sum of €2.8 million (£2.4 million, $3.3 million) to as much as €4.5 million.
Napoli are thought to be proposing an initial loan deal with the option to buy set at €45 million, which is more than the asking price United had initially set for their waning striker. If a permanent move does go through, Højlund would be expected to sign a contract which runs through to June 2030.
Should Højlund make the switch to Naples, he will find a familiar face in the form of Scott McTominay. The ex-United midfielder and reigning Serie A Player of the Year has picked up right where he left off, heading in the first goal of the 2025–26 season to set Napoli on their way to a 2–0 win over Sassuolo.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rasmus Hojlund in ‘Final Stages’ of Man Utd Exit, Favourable Terms Agreed.
