There has been an update regarding Manchester United's pursuit of Atalanta striker, Rasmus Hojlund, as manager Erik ten Hag steps up his search for a new centre-forward…
What's the latest on Hojlund to Man United?
According to one source, the Red Devils are said to have reached a "total agreement" for the signing of the Denmark international – as well as Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat – having already secured moves for Mason Mount and Andre Onana this summer.
It is not made clear as to whether that 'agreement' relates to personal terms as well as a transfer fee, with recent reports having claimed that United are unwilling to go above £60m in their quest to land the 20-year-old marksman.
The former Sturm Graz ace – who has been valued at around €50m (£43m) by CIES Football Observatory – has emerged as the leading centre-forward target for the Old Trafford outfit, despite recent whispers that the club are still "circling" in the hope of landing Harry Kane, according to journalist Samuel Luckhurst.
Would Hojlund be a good signing for Man United?
Unlike Kane – who netted 30 Premier League goals last season to take his total tally in the competition to 213 – Hojlund is a far less proven option to lead the line for Ten Hag next season, having scored just nine Serie A goals last season.
Although still seemingly a "remarkable" talent who has "very similar characteristics to [Erling] Haaland", according to manager Gian Piero Gasperini, the emerging gem does only boast 27 club career goals to date, making him a potentially expensive gamble as far as United are concerned.
There may also be worries over the Dane's apparent likeness to former Chelsea flop, Timo Werner, with the pair noted as similar players due to their recent statistical record, according to FBref.
The two men are notably alike due to their reliance on their speed to hurt the opposition, with Werner "someone who can devastate with his pace" – according to talkSPORT's Tony Cascarino – while Hojlund has been branded as "scary quick" by journalist, Sacha Pisani.
That desire to utilise their explosive speed is shown by the fact that the latter man ranks in the top 1% among those in his position in Europe's top five leagues for progressive passes received, as he regularly looks to get in behind, while his striking counterpart ranks in the top 5% in that regard.
As Werner found out during his time at Stamford Bridge, however, a striker will need more to his game if he is to make the grade in the Premier League, with the German dud having notably been rather "erratic" for the Blues, according to pundit Gabby Agbonlahor.
The RB Leipzig man – who is in his second spell at the club – was snapped up by then-boss Frank Lampard on a £45m deal in the summer of 2020 after netting 28 Bundesliga goals the year prior for his former employers, although the 27-year-old went on to score just ten league goals during his two-year stint in west London.
As United legend Rio Ferdinand said at the time, the Stuttgart native was often "too loose in possession" when leading the line, with it then somewhat concerning that Hojlund's average pass completion rate of 73.1% is actually lower than that of Werner (74.6%), across the last 365 days,
Having seen the dour nature of the latter man's time at Chelsea, United supporters will certainly not want the Old Trafford hierarchy to endure a repeat scenario with the signing of Hojlund.