Glazers may deny Man United boss Erik ten Hag his dream £50m signing as Sheikh Jassim waits for approval
Manchester United’s current owners the Glazers could stop Erik ten Hag from landing £50million striker target Rasmus Hojlund, according to reports. The delay in a resolution to the Red Devils’ takeover saga could be bad news for the pursuit of the Denmark star.
United are in the market for a striker this summer. Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen had been the top two targets.
However, both players are deemed too expensive by United. The Old Trafford club are working under a strict budget and Ten Hag cannot afford to spend the majority of his funds on one player, as he looks to strengthen both in midfield and in goal.
Mason Mount has bolstered the former while Andre Onana is the top target between the sticks. Hojlund is viewed as a cheaper option, although Atalanta value the player highly after his debut campaign in Serie A.
The Telegraph reports that United are planning to make a £50m bid for Hojlund, with Ten Hag now deciding on the Dane as his No 1 choice. However, it is claimed the deal will likely have to wait until the takeover saga is resolved.
The Glazers are yet to decide on which bid they will accept. Sheikh Jassim continues to wait for an answer as he goes head-to-head with INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
However, the longer the Glazers take to decide, the less chance they will have in signing Hojlund. It was anticipated that the takeover process would have been completed by now but despite regular reports hinting that a deal was close, there has been no official update from the club.
There is no guarantee that it will all be finalised by the end of the summer transfer window. That would leave Ten Hag fuming at not being able to bring in a much-needed frontman.
There is also no guarantee Hojlund will still be available even if the takeover completes in the coming weeks. The 20-year-old has caught attention across Europe and, despite United being the club most linked, there could be interest from other potential suitors.
Hojlund has had just one season in one of Europe’s top five leagues, scoring nine goals in 32 league games for Atalanta. However, 12 of those outings came as a substitute and he has shown undoubted promise in the minutes he has played
The Telegraph reports that United believe £50m would be enough to convince Atalanta to sell Hojlund. However, whether United can get their takeover sorted in time remains to be seen.
