CHRIS WHEELER: Man United want Hojlund and Onana but keep options open
CHRIS WHEELER: Man United want Rasmus Hojlund and Andre Onana as they continue to scour the market for new signings… but with £120m to spend, they must keep options open to stay within FFP limits
- Manchester United have made Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund their top target
- United and Inter have moved closer to reaching an agreement over Andre Onana
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This time last year, Manchester United were embarking on a club record £220million summer spending spree under new manager Erik ten Hag.
Tyrell Malacia was already through the door, and free agent Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez weren’t far behind. Brazilian duo Casemiro and Antony would follow before the transfer window closed in September.
A year on and the purse strings must feel a whole lot tighter for Ten Hag.
United are still in the market for new players. Mason Mount has been signed from Chelsea in a deal worth up to £60m and talks continue with the Italians of Inter Milan and Atalanta for goalkeeper Andre Onana and striker Rasmus Hojlund – two deals that could push the club’s spending towards £150m.
Trouble is, the transfer budget is £120m thanks to Financial Fair Play restrictions which explains why United are acting with more caution than we are used to from the biggest club in English football.
Manchester United have held further talks with Atalanta for striker Rasmus Hojlund (above)
Manchester United and Inter have moved closer to reaching an agreement over Andre Onana
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They are duty bound to balance the books so United are trying to save every penny while still delivering the players Ten Hag needs to take his team to the next level.
It’s why they are bidding for Hojlund rather than Harry Kane who is out of United’s reach in the £100m category.
It’s why United have tried to keep David de Gea onside despite letting his contract run down, held onto Tom Heaton for another year and postponed Dean Henderson’s move to Nottingham Forest while pursuing Onana.
It might smack of a club that doesn’t know who will be playing in goal next season, but the reality is that United have to keep all options open as they try to operate within a tighter budget.
Cheaper goalkeeping alternatives – including Feyenoord’s Justin Bijlow and Kevin Trapp at Eintracht Frankfurt – are also being considered, just as United have identified Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani as an alternative to Hojlund.
Ideally, though, Onana and Hojlund will be joining Mount at Old Trafford next season if United can get the deals done.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag wants to sign players to take his side to the next level
Pursuit of Hojlund and Muani suggests that Mason Greenwood is unlikely to play next season
Mail Sport understands that United and Inter have moved closer to reaching an agreement over Onana, with the move set to be completed next week.
United were looking to pay in the region of £40m for Hojlund after deciding that Tottenham chief Daniel Levy was unlikely to budge on Kane, and Atalanta’s £86m valuation of the Dane certainly came as a nasty surprise. United won’t do business at that price, but a compromise can still be reached
There’s a valid argument that United have a greater need for a striker than either Mount or Onana. Ten Hag is well stocked in the midfield area and, in De Gea, he had last season’s Golden Glove winner who was open to extending his contract on reduced terms.
Yet United have been operating without a regular No.9 for too long, which is why they lagged well behind the rest of the top-six in goals scored last season.
The best candidate, Anthony Martial, can’t stay fit and Marcus Rashford prefers to play off the left. Mason Greenwood would certainly come into contention but United’s pursuit of Hojlund and Muani suggests that Greenwood is unlikely to play for United, at least next season, and could actually be used as a makeweight in the Hojlund deal. With money so tight, what would be the point of signing a striker if Greenwood was on the way back?
The club will listen to offers for Jadon Sancho in a bid to raise funds for more signings
No, United will have to duck and dive to get three players into one budget: to stretch £120m to £150m. The best way of doing that will be to sell some players this summer.
Mail Sport revealed last month that Fred, Donny van de Beek, Anthony Elanga, Alex Telles, Eric Bailly, Brandon Williams and Hannibal Mejbri are up for sale. In addition, the club would listen to the right offers for Martial, Jadon Sancho, Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay and Henderson.
They expect to raise in excess of £50m and maybe as much as £100m. There may even be enough left for a fourth signing, certainly if Martial, Sancho, Maguire or McTominay leave.
But this isn’t how it was a year ago. United are having to be more cute, more canny in the transfer market for once. Ten Hag can only hope it pays off.
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