24 July 2023 , 21:30
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Manchester United are refusing to pay more than £60million for their top striker target Rasmus Hojlund.
Serie A side Atalanta want £80m for the 20-year-old forward, but United view that figure as wholly unrealistic and are not prepared to budge from their valuation.
Although Hojlund remains Erik ten Hag's first-choice target, United will not be held to ransom by Atalanta and are looking at other options to strengthen their forward line. United are also looking at Eintracht Frankfurt's Randal Kolo Muani and Ajax's versatile forward Mohammed Kudus if Atalanta will not compromise on their asking price for Hojlund.
Rasmus Hojlund is wanted by Manchester United - but not at Atalanta's valuation (Getty Images)The Denmark international scored 16 goals in 42 games for Atalanta last season and Ten Hag has been impressed as much by his work rate off the ball as his clinical finishing.
But Hojlund is still unproven at the very highest level and United, whose spending like all clubs is now constrained by new Financial Fair Play rules, cannot deviate from their budget.
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United have already spent £107m on Mason Mount and Andre Onana, and must offload some players to raise funds to buy a new striker and remain within the strict FFP parameters.
Ten Hag has been experimenting with Jadon Sancho as a false nine in pre-season and is likely to continue with that approach when United face Real Madrid in Houston tomorrow.
The United boss has big expectations for Sancho after the forward's struggles with physical and mental issues last season, which saw miss a significant chunk of the campaign.
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Anthony Martial, who has yet to feature on the US tour as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury sustained last season, could make his first appearance against Real.
Onana is expected to make his United debut tomorrow after arriving in the US too late to play a part in United's 2-0 win over Arsenal in New Jersey.
Former United defender Jaap Stam, who coached Onana with Ajax's Under-23s, backed the new goalkeeper to be a success at Old Trafford.
“Andre is very comfortable on the ball," said Stam. “He's a very honest person and a very good goalkeeper.
“His reflexes are immense, they are very good. He's very quick on the line as well and coming out. He reads the game well and is good on the ball.”