Manchester United are in the market for a prolific striker this summer and now a new update has emerged on a potential transfer target who would be open to a move to Old Trafford this summer.
What's the latest on Man United's interest in Rasmus Hojlund?
According to The Mirror, Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund is interested in joining Man United this summer after being identified as one of the players under consideration.
As per the report, it is claimed that the talented star is on a six-man shortlist with the signing of a striker the highest priority for the Red Devils and his Serie A club will command a €50m (£43m) transfer fee to part ways with their player.
Who would Hojlund replace at Man United?
Replacing Cristiano Ronaldo was never going to be an easy task for Erik ten Hag, however, the Dutch coach wouldn't have been able to predict just how poor Wout Weghorst would be during his six-month loan stint at Old Trafford.
The Netherlands international failed to score a single Premier League goal over his 17 league appearances in a Man United strip – missing three big chances in front of goal and averaging 0.3 shots on target per game, which is a dreadful output for a centre forward especially at such a demanding club.
As a result, the signing of Hojlund would be warmly welcomed ahead of next season as the Danish striker would be an incredible threat in the final third and a huge upgrade on Weghorst.
When comparing the Atalanta talent to his Man United positional peer he has comfortably outperformed in a number of key attacking attributes including goal contributions (16 v 13), shots on target rate (54.7% v 43.9%), goal-creating actions per 90 (0.25 v 0.23), progressive carries (40 v 3) and shots on target per 90 (1.41 v 1.18), as per FBref.
Not only is Hojlund more explosive in front of goal, but the 20-year-old is also a decade younger than Weghorst and could provide Ten Hag with a young player who could develop into a massive asset for any future success at Man United in the next few years to come.
The four-cap Denmark international has been the recipient of high praise from his manager Gian Piero Gasperini who likened him to treble-winning Manchester City star Erling Haaland:
"Hojlund has this spirit, energy, intensity, but also the technical quality that is just remarkable. He still has so much margin for improvement, too.
"He has very similar characteristics to Haaland. He is so quick, he’s under 11 seconds over 100m and that’s not even trying very hard. Considering his height, he has a low centre of gravity. I am convinced he’ll have a great career, he just gets stronger every day."
With that being said, securing Hojlund's signature would be a major coup for Man United and if he could continue to thrive in English football there is no reason why he can't become a key component in the club's pursuit of more trophies and success in the future.