If you say Rasmus Hojlund’s name quickly enough, it sounds like the striker currently firing in goals for Manchester City. The two strikers are, in fact, very different, but the potential is there for Hojlund.
That potential is driving major clubs such as Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain to offer transfer fees in excess of €50 for the 20-year-old Danish forward.
Hojlund is the new, young, unknown player top teams are fighting over. He is also the player fans are talking about despite knowing little about him and likely never seeing him play.
The world’s top clubs missed out on signing Erling Haaland when he was young.
Even when Red Bull Salzburg were ready to sell Haaland, only Borussia Dortmund seemed interested in signing.
That folly by clubs in the Premier League, La Liga, and Ligue 1 is now fuelling the desire to sign Hojlund.
But is the Danish striker worth the more than €50m Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain have bid for him? Keep in mind that Atalanta have priced the player at €100m.
Hojlund has made it clear he wants to move on, but moving to a club the size of Man United or PSG rather than remaining in Bergamo to develop could be career suicide.
United signed Amad Diallo from Atalanta for £37m only for the forward to struggle to develop at Old Trafford. He has since been loaned to Rangers and Sunderland.
But what does Hojlund offer the clubs seeking his signature? Once again, he provides potential.
He is tall, standing 6ft 2in (1.91m) and can be a physical presence as a No 9. A goalscoring No 9 is what Man United desperately need.
Premier League teams have gone back to the centre-forward, central striker mould, with Haaland, Darwin Nunez, and Alexander Isak all joining the league last season. Hojlund could fit this role for United.
The striker joined Atalanta at the end of August 2022 from Austria’s Sturm Graz, where he played just 18 times, but scored nine goals.
In Serie A, he played immediately, going straight into Gian Piero Gasperini’s starting XI. He scored in his second appearance for the club but went the next nine games without one.
In the end, Hojlund scored nine goals and assisted four in 32 appearances. He averaged just over 57 minutes per match in Serie A and averaged a goal every 204 minutes.
The stats are impressive and show Hojlund could be a top striker in the future.
But a move to one of the world’s biggest clubs could affect his development. Goalscoring drives the transfer market.
The most sought-after players are goalscorers. United and PSG’s pursuit of Hojlund makes sense.
Only time will tell if the striker can make the step up from a mid-table Serie A team to a team fighting for league and European trophies. Hojlund turned professional at 17 for FC Copenhagen but has only played 69 first-team matches.
Whichever team signs him must be patient. Unfortunately, modern football does not allow time for players to find their feet.