Manchester United are confident that they can land Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund for under £45 million this summer despite his heavy price tag, according to journalist Dean Jones.
What's the latest transfer news involving Rasmus Hojlund and Man United?
According to The Sun, Manchester United are preparing a second offer to try and land Hojlund this summer which is said to be worth in the region of £40 million.
The report states that the Red Devils have already seen a bid of £30 million rejected for the 20-year-old, while Financial Fair Play regulations are set to make their quest to sign players this off-season more difficult.
As per The Daily Mail, talks continue over the prospect of Hojlund moving to Old Trafford between both parties. Eintracht Frankfurt ace Randal Kolo Muani has been identified as another target by Erik Ten Hag.
90min claim that Atalanta could demand as much as €80 million (£68.6 million) before sanctioning an exit for the Denmark international; however, Manchester United are only keen to pay a maximum figure of €60 million (£51.5 million) to seal a deal for Hojlund.
Tottenham Hotspur hitman Harry Kane and Napoli star Victor Osimhen have been heavily linked as high-profile arrivals at Manchester United over the course of the last few months, though both pursuits have since fallen by the wayside due to the estimated cost involved.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Jones thinks that Manchester United will hold optimism they can land Hojlund for under £45 million.
Jones said: "We have said for a while now that Hojlund is the forward most suited to United in the here and now. He’s better than Weghorst, but he doesn’t have much top-level experience yet and only got nine goals in Serie A last season.
"So he won’t be a goal machine, but he will open up gaps for [Marcus] Rashford to exploit. He will fit into the budget and that is a key to this. There have been some huge valuations put on him, but United are pretty sure this is a player that can be landed for under £45m."
Would Hojlund be a good fit for Manchester United and who could he replace?
Bringing in Hojlund, who has been hailed as a "scary" player, could help to boost a Manchester United forward line that is in desperate need of replenishing and the Danish wonderkid could offer a long-term striking option at Old Trafford.
Last term, the 20-year-old was in fine goalscoring form, registering 16 goals and seven assists in 42 appearances combining his spells at Atalanta and former employers Sturm Graz, as per Transfermarkt.
As per FBRef, Hojlund has managed to excel over the past year in the field of progressive passes received compared to his positional peers across Europe's top five leagues, taking in around 10.99 per match across the last 365 days.
In terms of who Hojlund may replace, Anthony Martial looks to be the most likely candidate who is currently on the books of Manchester United.
The Daily Mail report that Martial could be moved on this summer due to being in the last year of his contract and Manchester United would demand around £25 million for his signature.