Man Utd firm on Hojlund valuation as Ten Hag phone call inspires deal

25 July 2023 , 02:00

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Manchester United have two major names through the door this summer and are now eyeing more firepower.

Andre Onana is the latest signing and bolsters one of the positions Erik ten Hag was most keen to strengthen with David de Gea being moved on. Mason Mount brings more quality to the midfield but scoring goals was a problem for the squad last season as they relied heavily on Marcus Rashford.

Ten Hag though is working with a limited budget which will affect who they can target, unless funds are raised via player sales. Several big names are on the market - including Tottenham's Harry Kane - and United are being linked with several of them.

Here's the latest rumours coming out of Old Trafford.

Hojlund stance unchanged

The Red Devils are not willing to splash out more than £60million on Rasmus Hojlund this summer.

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Ten Hag is desperate to sign a centre forward before the end of the window and Hojlund has been lined up as a priority target for that position. The Denmark international scored 10 times in 34 appearances for Atalanta last season and has been linked with a move away this summer.

However, after spending over £100m on Mason Mount and Andre Onana, United do not want to spend big on Hojlund, who has had just three years in senior football. According to the Telegraph, Atalanta value the forward at around £86m, but the Red Devils are hoping to secure a deal for less than £60m.

Ten Hag's phone call inspires Onana deal

Ten Hag wasn't even enquiring about Andre Onana before the suggestion of signing the Inter Milan goalkeeper lit his interest.

The Cameroonian is now a United player and will become the club's first-choice goalkeeper after several weeks of negotiating. But Ten Hag had originally been discussing Denzel Dumfries, which suggests he may be eyeing an attacking full-back before the prospect of signing the goalkeeper was floated.

The United boss was on the phone to Yalcin Sarica, a senior agent at Wasserman Media Group, and had been talking about Dumfries, who has 45 caps for his country. Sarica was also in the process of representing Onana and mentioning him ignited Ten Hag's interest, according to the Athletic.

Utd in Mbappe chase

United are among at least six clubs who have contacted PSG over the weekend regarding Kylian Mbappe's availability with one Saudi club reportedly offering the French outfit €300m (£260m).

It is understood that Chelsea and Tottenham were among the other Premier League sides to make enquiries in recent days, while other clubs from around Europe have also made their interest known.

United are looking to bolster their attacking options this summer but are working with a limited budget. However the availability of arguably the best player in the world, who PSG actively want to offload in the coming weeks, could see those at Old Trafford raise funds elsewhere to finance a potential bid.