Rasmus Hojlund’s Manchester United nightmare appears to be over, for now.
The Danish striker looks set to join Serie A champions Napoli on loan until the end of the 2025/2026 campaign.
The Italian club are apparently keen to find a replacement for Romelu Lukaku after the Belgian star suffered a thigh injury earlier this month.
Hojlund will also link up with former Red Devil Scott McTominay if the deal goes ahead.
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Hojlund arrived at Old Trafford for a reported £64 million from Atalanta during the summer of 2023, and many fans expected big things.
However, he has failed to live up to those expectations.
After a difficult debut campaign, things went from bad to worse last term.
He scored just ten goals and produced four assists in 52 appearances across all competitions for the 20-time Premier League champions during the 2024/2025 season.
That left him with an underwhelming 26 goals and six assists in 95 appearances for the club.
At 22 years old, the forward still has plenty of time to come good, and clearly his new club rate him incredibly highly.
The youngster’s loan deal reportedly includes an option to buy.
That option will then become an obligation if certain conditions are met.
The obligation to buy will cost Napoli €44 million, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Furthermore, the loan move will supposedly cost the Italian giants a €6 million loan fee.
However, sports journalist Gianluca Di Marzio believes there is another twist to this lucrative deal.
He believes that there will be an eye-watering €80 million release clause in the striker’s contract if he joins Napoli on a permanent basis at the end of the season.
It would be a remarkable turnaround for a striker who has struggled to hit the ground running in England.
United had to settle for a 15th-place finish in the Premier League last term.
In stark contrast, Napoli stormed to victory in Serie A, thanks in part to the influence of former United stars McTominay and Lukaku.
If Hojlund can follow in their footsteps, then this could turn out to be another successful deal for the Italian side.
Topics: Manchester United, Napoli, Rasmus Hojlund, Transfer News, Football, Premier League, Serie A
Jonathan Bray