Ten Hag stunned as Chelsea explode into Man Utd striker race to unite Pochettino with new Haaland

Chelsea could ruin Erik ten Hag’s striker plans at Manchester United by signing a great centre-forward first, according to reports.

Both Chelsea and Man Utd are on the hunt for a new striker this summer. Chelsea have let Kai Havertz go to London rivals Arsenal in a £65million deal, while more experienced options Romelu Lukaku and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang both hope to leave Stamford Bridge permanently.

Youngsters Armando Broja and David Datro Fofana are in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad, but the former has only just returned from a serious ACL injury while the latter has been tipped to go to Ligue 1 on loan.

Man Utd, meanwhile, need a new centre-forward after Wout Weghorst’s loan spell ended and he headed back to parent club Burnley. With Marcus Rashford wanting to play at left wing and Anthony Martial unreliable due to injury concerns, there is an obvious void at Old Trafford.

Both Premier League sides have looked into signing Victor Osimhen from Napoli. But he is too expensive as he will cost somewhere between £100-150m.

After being told Harry Kane will also cost £100m to sign from Tottenham, Man Utd have begun prioritising a move for Atalanta star Rasmus Hojlund.

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The Red Devils have had an opening bid worth €35m (£30m) rejected by Atalanta. As per The Telegraph, they will soon submit an improved offer worth £50m. Plus, reports have suggested Mason Greenwood could be loaned to Atalanta to give them an immediate replacement for Hojlund.

But Man Utd’s plans could go up in smoke amid rival interest from Chelsea. According to Goal’s live transfer blog (09/07 at 8:45), which cites reports emerging from Spain, the Blues have joined Man Utd in the hunt for Hojlund.

Chelsea, Man Utd both want same goalscorer

Man Utd are still the favourites as they have put in more groundwork to secure an agreement with Atalanta. However, it seems Chelsea will challenge them for the signing and may soon launch a bid of their own.

Hojlund would be a fantastic signing for either club. He has been compared to record-breaking Manchester City forward Erling Haaland as they are both Scandinavian, possess deadly left foots and are frighteningly quick. And while Hojlund is not yet on Haaland’s level in terms of goals, he has the potential to get close.

Aged just 20, the Denmark international bagged 10 goals in 34 appearances for Atalanta last term. He is also proving himself to be a handful on the international stage, having found the back of the net six times during six caps.

As a self-confessed Man Utd fan, it will be hard for Chelsea to convince him to join them over Ten Hag’s side. But stranger things have happened in football – just look at Kevin de Bruyne, who grew up following Liverpool but is now shining for Manchester City.

Meanwhile, Rio Ferdinand has sent a warning to Man Utd over a star who will soon join them from a European giant.