BREAKING: Man United agree £72m for Atalanta striker Hojlund with his shirt number revealed with announcement set

BREAKING: Man United agree £72m for Atalanta striker Hojlund with his shirt number revealed with announcement set

Manchester United have reached an agreement with Serie A side Atalanta over the signing of striker Rasmus Hojlund; 20-year-old was left out of the squad that played Bournemouth in a pre-season friendly on Saturday

Rasmus Hojlund was at Bournemouth for a pre-season friendly with Atalanta on Saturday, the day it was confirmed Man Utd had agreed a fee for his transfer

Rasmus Hojlund was at Bournemouth for a pre-season friendly with Atalanta on Saturday, the day it was confirmed Man Utd had agreed a fee for his transfer
Manchester United have reached an agreement with Atalanta over Rasmus Hojlund.

The deal in principle is worth an initial £64m with a further £8m in add-ons. Atalanta went into negotiations wanting £77m guaranteed.

Man Utd available shirt numbers
Available Manchester United shirt numbers at first-team level are relatively few and far between as things stand. Other than 1 and 4, which aren’t really striker-appropriate, the only jerseys under under 30 currently available are 13 and 15.

But several others could become available before the Premier League deadline locks squad numbers in, depending on how transfer business goes. 90min reported last week that United are making progress in talks with regard to selling Fred to Galatasaray. If he leaves, that frees up 17.

Unable to stay consistently fit, Anthony Martial’s future has remained up in the air, while the club is also yet to make a decision about Mason Greenwood. Should either or both leave, 9 and 11 could become available for Hojlund. But it would have to be sooner rather than later.

As previously reported by Sky Sports News, the forward’s destination of choice has been Old Trafford, so there was no concern over PSG’s interest in the Denmark international.

Personal terms were no issue, with Hojlund agreeing a five-year contract with the option of an additional 12 months.

The Premier League side were handed a boost on Saturday when Atalanta signed Almeria forward El Bilal Toure, while Hojlund was left out of the squad that played Bournemouth in a pre-season friendly.

United’s incoming business is now largely done, and any more arrivals are likely to depend on departures.

There is interest in the likes of Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay, Fred and Donny van de Beek.

Hojlund’s Man Utd transfer explained
Sky Sports’ Melissa Reddy reports that Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund is edging closer to a move to Manchester United as the two clubs have agreed a fee and the Danish striker has no reported problems agreeing personal terms.
Sky Sports News senior reporter Melissa Reddy:

“United are conscious that Hojlund is more potential than the finished article, but believe Erik ten Hag’s coaching could help mould him into an elite player.

“Marcus Rashford may need to play some games as United’s focal point while the 20-year-old adjusts and gains experience. Long-term he is seen as a talent that has the potential to become world class under Ten Hag.

United have now solved the three core squad issues the manager identified: a goalkeeper, forward and dynamic midfielder. This has been done within the budget the club set themselves, which was conditioned by Financial Fair Play regulations.

“Hojlund had made it very clear Old Trafford was his destination of choice, so even though PSG had registered their interest with a take-it-or-leave-it bid, there was no worry or concern at United’s end because they knew the player wanted to join them, they knew they had done a lot of homework on this deal and they have still stayed within their budget.

“United have talked Atalanta down from what they initially wanted. The last asking price was £77m guaranteed. We know that United have gone for £64m guaranteed, so they feel that is a win. We have to stress this is a 20-year-old who is still very inexperienced, so it is quite a hefty price for United to pay.

“But they believe he has got such a high ceiling and that he can progress and become world class under Erik ten Hag, so it’s basically backing their manager’s coaching ability and what the scouts have seen in Hojlund.

“We’re told it wasn’t because of PSG coming into the race that United have elevated their price point; it’s simply because, to get the deal done in time for the player to have enough training sessions with the squad to be ready for the start of the season, they wanted to get an agreement in place. They feel a compromise has been reached, even though they’ve gone higher than they probably would have liked to.”