Not Garnacho: United star "would gladly" move to Italy amid Napoli interest, Red Devils want £51m - report
Manchester United returned to winning ways in the Premier League on Sunday against Leicester City.
The Red Devils had a comfortable evening at the King Power Stadium, scoring three goals.
Rasmus Hojlund ended his 21-game goal drought by opening the scoring. Alejandro Garnacho also netted for the first time in 25 appearances for the Red Devils.
Bruno Fernandes provided the assist for both goals. He capped his performance with a wonderful strike.
Gazzetta dello Sport (page 16) today claim that Napoli want to sign a new striker this summer. Hojlund is reportedly one of the top names on manager Antonio Conte’s wishlist.
The publication add that the Dane ‘would gladly’ return to Italy. United signed him for £63 million. They plan to request £51m to avoid a loss in their financial books.
The price tag could be a deal-breaker for Serie A clubs, but Napoli have held ‘first exploratory talks’ and consider Hojlund as a competitor to Romelu Lukaku next term.
Hojlund speculation could be agent-driven
The Denmark international has had a challenging second year with the Red Devils. He has netted eight goals in 39 outings, but only three of those have come in the league.
Hojlund ended a lengthy scoreless run against the Foxes. Speaking after the game, the 22-year-old acknowledged that he is not a finished article and aims to improve.
In less than 48 hours, there is speculation that he would gladly return to Serie A. In our view, the transfer story appears agent-driven. His representative is trying to gauge interest from Italy.
Napoli failed to sign Alejandro Garnacho from United last winter. We won’t be surprised if they have already spoken with Hojlund’s entourage over a possible summer deal.
However, we don’t see the Red Devils cashing in on the former Atalanta star unless they recruit a marquee striker like Viktor Gyokeres or Victor Osimhen later this year.
In that case, Hojlund may contemplate an exit as he could be restricted to cameo roles. The striker’s agent could be preparing for such a scenario during the next transfer window.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
Article written by Sri Aswin .