Manchester United ended up paying significantly more than they initially set out to for the transfer of Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund.
That’s according to transfer news expert Ben Jacobs in the latest edition of his CaughtOffside column on Substack, with the reporter also explaining how this deal could impact the strikers domino in the next few weeks.
Hojlund looks an exciting prospect, but it’s not too surprising that Man Utd perhaps had a lower fee in mind for him, with Jacobs explaining that the Red Devils are set to pay a total package worth around €85million, whereas they started out wanting to pay closer to €65m.
United are surely being punished for how they’ve over-paid for players in the past, but at the end of the day their fans won’t care too much if Hojlund and their other new additions Mason Mount and Andre Onana prove successful.
“Rasmus Hojlund is about to complete his transfer to Manchester United from Atalanta,” Jacobs said. “The 20-year-old moves for €75+10m.
“The €85m package is significantly higher than the €65m Manchester United originally wanted to pay, but the club do view that transfer fee as an investment not an expense. This will certainly be true if Hojlund lives up to his potential.”
On other striker deals to look out for, Jacobs added: “We might now see a flurry of strikers on the move. PSG wanted Hojlund and have also looked at Dusan Vlahovic and Harry Kane. They aren’t expected to get either of the latter two as it stands.
“Chelsea are considering Vlahovic as part of a swap deal for Romelu Lukaku. Should they proceed, they will likely need to pay at least €30m in cash on top. Juventus may accept around €70-75m for Vlahovic and Chelsea want €40-45m for Lukaku. Vlahovic has been on Chelsea’s list since last year and we now need to wait and see whether they think a deal worthwhile with Nicolas Jackson in strong pre-season form and Armando Broja back in training after an ACL injury.
“Kane could be off to Bayern. A key meeting took place with Spurs on Monday in London. No agreement was reached or close, but Bayern took positives from the fact a transfer was discussed in quite a bit of detail. A buy back was spoken of for Spurs in case Kane does leave and then chooses to return to the Premier League one day.
“Should Kane leave, keep an eye on Lille’s Jonathan David, who is one name on Spurs’ list.
“Another striker to keep an eye on is Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun, who has indicated he doesn’t want another loan. That means a sale is likely given game time at Arsenal could be limited.
“Inter turned to Balogun after calling off their pursuit of Lukaku (irritated by the Belgian striker talking to Juventus). But Arsenal have raised the asking price to around £45m, which is over £10m higher than Inter are prepared to pay. That’s why Inter are currently turning to West Ham’s Gianluca Scamacca, who is likely to be a cheaper option. Inter are trying for under €25m and have already seen a bid rejected.”