Rasmus Hojlund now ‘directly told’ Man Utd transfer plan with prime suitors set to ‘meet’ value

Rasmus Hojlund is increasingly likely to be the casualty of Manchester United’s signing of Benjamin Sesko and the club have now communicated their plan to him after holding further talks with AC Milan, according to reports.

Man Utd were eager to arm themselves with a more dangerous striker this summer after being underwhelmed by Joshua Zirkzee last season and Hojlund over the past two campaigns. They have got their way, signing Sesko from RB Leipzig in a deal worth up to £73.7m. And while both of United’s strikers last season were under scrutiny, the one who’s been there the longer is the likelier to pay the price.

It looks like it’s game over for Hojlund at Old Trafford, despite his previous insistence on fighting for his place, as he explained while on tour in the United States during pre-season.

As TEAMtalk reported on Saturday, talks between Man Utd and AC Milan have been accelerating, with regard to a route back into Serie A for the former Atalanta one-season wonder.

However, one obstacle to overcome is Hojlund’s own stance. Milan have been discussing a loan deal with an option – not an obligation – to buy him next summer.

The uncertainty over whether the move would become permanent has led to some hesitation on the Denmark international’s part, in case it leads to him having to return to United and fight for his place in 2026 – which he might as well be doing this season anyway, in his eyes.

But there has now been another development in the saga, with Ben Jacobs revealing on X that Hojlund ‘has now been directly told he’ll need to leave to gain minutes this season’.

United retain a preference for selling Hojlund, who clearly isn’t alone in wanting clarity on his long-term future, but crucially, Milan are willing to ‘meet’ their valuation of £40m – via a loan with an option to buy, which United haven’t ruled out – on the back of more talks on Saturday.

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Now, Hojlund – who already overlooked interest from RB Leipzig during the Sesko negotiations – is said to be ‘considering his options’.

Hojlund scored in United’s win over Bournemouth at the end of July, after which he insisted his plan was to stay at the club.

“I think my plan is very clear and that is for me to stay and fight for my spot whatever happens,” he said. “Competition is fine with me, it sharpens me.

“I’m more than ready. I’m feeling sharp so I’m welcoming everything that comes. I think it’s good with competition and it only sharpens the team.

“I’m still very young. I think people forget that sometimes, I’m only 22. Obviously, not every striker is scoring 100 goals at the age of 22. But I’ve learned a lot, I think you can see in my game.”

Man Utd and AC Milan in talks over Hojlund value

Reports elsewhere have shed further light on Milan’s offer for Hojlund. According to the Daily Mail, the Rossoneri are willing to pay £4m to have Hojlund on loan.

Furthermore, they are willing to secure an option to buy him for £39m, so the total package – if activated – would surpass United’s price tag.

Fabrizio Romano has also reported the idea of a £39m (€45m) option to buy, although the Italian reporter’s estimate of the loan fee was different at £5.2m (€6m).

All in all, TEAMtalk understands there’s a gap of €5m (£4.3m) in the two clubs’ valuations of what the option to buy should cost.

United have been wanting to balance the books this year, but have already had to accept a similar loan-to-buy formula for Marcus Rashford’s departure to Barcelona.

In this case, according to Romano, Milan are also willing to cover Hojlund’s salary, which may help sweeten a deal for United.

Milan want to know if the Hojlund deal could happen by the middle of August, or else they could pivot to plan B targets like Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus.

Man Utd transfer news: Another striker signing?

While Sesko has joined United and Hojlund could be on the way out, rumours are still persisting about even more change to their attacking options.

One report claims a Premier League striker wants to join United and has parted company with his agent to oversee the move himself.

At the other end of the pitch, United have been linked with Gianluigi Donnarumma as a goalkeeping upgrade and Paris Saint-Germain have made their stance clear.

In other news, TEAMtalk can reveal what United believe about Carlos Baleba’s interest in joining them from Brighton.

What’s gone wrong for Hojlund at Man Utd?

By Nathan Egerton

United identified Hojlund as their top target in the summer of 2023 and were initially expecting to pay no more than £45million (€54m, $60.3m).

But they ultimately forked out an initial £64million (€76.3m / $79.5m) and another £8million (€9.6m/$9.9m) in potential add-ons to sign the striker from Atalanta.

It was a fee that raised eyebrows at the time, given the Denmark international scored nine goals in 32 Serie A appearances in his solitary season at Atalanta.

The big-money transfer also came 12 months after Atalanta paid a reported fee of just under £15million (€17.8m / $18.6m) to sign him from Austrian outfit Sturm Graz.

Hojlund initially struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League, failing to score in his first 14 appearances in the English top-flight.

He did impress in the Champions League and also enjoyed a promising second-half to the 2023/24 campaign, finishing his first season at United with 16 goals in all competitions.

But the 22-year-old has failed to kick on in his second term and his form has actually regressed, scoring just 10 goals in 52 appearances in all competitions.

Just four of those 10 goals have come in the Premier League, and he has failed to score in 49 of his 62 top-flight appearances for United.

Hojlund went on a run of 21 games in all competitions without a goal between December, when he scored against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League, and March, when he ended his drought against Leicester City.

The striker was once deemed as ‘unsellable’ by United but the club have reportedly changed their stance and will now consider offers.

He still has plenty of potential to improve but his value has undoubtedly dropped in the last 18 months and United will struggle to recoup their original transfer fee.