Man Utd believe brilliant £38m transfer is ‘almost guaranteed’ – Fabrizio Romano

Manchester United believe a 2026 transfer worth roughly £38m is a mere formality, and the Red Devils have worked wonders at a time when their transfer dealings have been heavily scrutinised.

Almost as important as who Man Utd signed in the summer was who they let go. United’s squad required a total rebuild and it’s in attack where most of the departures came.

Antony and Alejandro Garnacho were sold to Real Betis and Chelsea respectively, Jadon Sancho was sent on a straight loan to Aston Villa, while Marcus Rashford’s loan at Barcelona contains an option to buy worth €35m / £30.5m.

Another to take flight was Rasmus Hojlund despite initial reluctance from the Dane to leave Old Trafford.

However, Man Utd always intended to move a striker on once Benjamin Sesko joined. Joshua Zirkzee was retained, leaving Hojlund as the prime candidate to go.

Napoli signed the frontman to a one-year loan and paid Man Utd a loan fee of €6m / £5.2m. However, the terms of the agreement also contain a conditional obligation to buy worth €44m / £38.4m.

And according to the latest from Fabrizio Romano, Man Utd are already banking on that sale going through next summer.

“Hojlund started immediately very well, starting for Napoli against Fiorentina (and scoring), being already an important player for Antonio Conte in the Champions League,” began Romano when speaking on his YouTube channel. “So for sure Rasmus Hojlund is an important part of the Napoli project.

“The feeling they have internally at Man Utd is that the [conditional] obligation to buy for Rasmus Hojlund will be triggered.

“He’s playing, he’s an important player for Napoli and also because the plan of Napoli is to have Hojlund as a crucial part of the project, not just for this season but also the future.”

Romano concluded by stating Man Utd consider Hojlund’s sale at season’s end as “almost guaranteed” already.

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What conditions will trigger Rasmus Hojlund sale

There are two conditions at play in Hojlund’s deal, with the first relating to how Napoli fare in Serie A this season.

Napoli must qualify for the 2026/27 Champions League to satisfy that aspect of the deal.

Having won the league twice in the last three years and with Conte at the helm, a top four finish is the very least Napoli will expect. Indeed, the club already sit top of the pile right now having won three from three so far.

The second condition relates to an appearance target. How many appearances Hojlund must make isn’t yet clear, though the suggestions are the number is not high.

What’s more, with Romelu Lukaku sidelined with a serious thigh injury, Hojlund is currently positioned as Napoli’s starting striker.

Hojlund suffering an injury of his own could potentially derail the deal given he might fall short of the appearance target.

But with Napoli already smitten with the Dane, the club could then look to secure a fresh agreement from scratch at the end of the season anyway.

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QUIZ: Think you know Rasmus Hojlund? ⬇️