Manchester United have completed a £38million transfer today even though the transfer window doesn’t officially open for almost another month
Manchester United have completed a £38million transfer today even though the transfer window doesn’t officially open until June 15.
Rasmus Hojlund’s transfer to Napoli has been sealed on Sunday. The striker’s switch was rubber-stamped the moment Napoli guaranteed their spot in next season’s Champions League after beating Pisa to confirm a second place finish in Serie A.
United inserted a £38million conditional obligation to purchase the Denmark international as part of the arrangement that brought him to Naples last summer. The contract stipulates that the current Serie A champions were compelled to sign Hojlund on a permanent basis should they secure Champions League qualification.
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Napoli started the day in second, behind Inter who had wrapped up the Scudetto weeks ago. Goals from former United midfielder Scott McTominay and Amir Rrahmani saw Napoli cruise in a first-half lead before Hojlund scored in injury time to round off a 3-0 win on the penultimate day of the season.
Champions League qualification seemed virtually guaranteed following their triumph over Milan in early April, which stretched their winning streak to five straight victories. But they have managed only one triumph from their previous five encounters, enduring home losses to both Bologna and Lazio.
Despite results elsewhere, a Napoli victory was sufficient to guarantee Champions League football, as the champions possess a superior head-to-head record against third place Roma. They claimed a 1-0 triumph at the Stadio Olimpico in late November and managed a 2-2 stalemate at home earlier this year following an 82nd-minute equaliser.
Meanwhile, sixth place Como were powerless to climb above Napoli regardless of their own result. Antonio Conte’s side can no longer finish lower than third, meaning the club would complete United’s second summer transfer alongside Casemiro’s exit, as the Brazil international has confirmed he will leave Old Trafford when his contract expires.
Much like his former teammate, the Dane is experiencing a fruitful season, leading Napoli’s goalscoring charts with 14 goals across all competitions. The striker has recently endured a drought across their last six fixtures. Nevertheless, he did supply assists for their equalisers against Bologna – before Jonathan Rowe struck a 91st-minute winner – and Parma.
The club made their stance on securing Hojlund clear earlier this month. Sporting director Giovanni Manna reinforced their confidence in him, stating: “There are no doubts, Rasmus will stay here. We have an obligation to buy from Manchester United, in case of Champions League access, but he is in our plans regardless of this condition.”
Conte has also backed Hojlund against recent criticism over his goal drought, declaring: “Let’s not forget that he’s the only striker we have in the squad, and he’s the only one playing; he should have had the chance to rest and come on during the match.
He has a lot of energy and is a player with excellent qualities. He’s 23 years old and has significant room for improvement; you can’t say anything [bad] about him; he plays for the team.”