Man Utd star Rasmus Hojlund granted transfer reprieve thanks to injury

Napoli have been forced to reconsider a move for Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund in the summer transfer window after Romelu Lukaku suffered an injury.

Lukaku is Antonio Conte’s main option at centre-forward, but he will be unavailable for around three months after picking up a thigh injury. The Belgian striker went off injured in a pre-season friendly against Olympiakos last week and Napoli have now confirmed the extent of the problem.

The defending Serie A champions could be without Lukaku until November and have therefore turned to the transfer market. Hojlund was considered earlier in the summer before Conte opted instead to sign Lorenzo Lucca from Udinese on a loan deal with an obligation to buy.

Lucca will cost €35million (£30m) – a fee which put him ahead of Hojlund and ex-Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez. But Sky Sports Italy says that Hojlund is back on the radar at Napoli following the Lukaku blow.

READ MORE: Transfer news LIVE: Three Man Utd deals stall, Liverpool's Guehi issue, Eze to Spurs latest

READ MORE: Man Utd transfer news: Hojlund, Sancho and Garnacho exits stall as Donnarumma plea made

The Dane is poised to leave Old Trafford this summer after Ruben Amorim left him out of the squad for their opening game of the season against Arsenal on Sunday. The arrival of Benjamin Sesko in a £74m deal from RB Leipzig has relegated Hojlund down the pecking order and United are ready to sanction his exit.

Having signed him for £72m from Atalanta two years ago, they are now ready to sell for under half of that price. Hojlund has a good reputation in Italy thanks to his spell with Atalanta and AC Milan are also considering a move.

However, Milan are understood to prefer Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic, who is also on the shortlist at Napoli, along with Lecce's Nikola Krstovic, Monaco's Breel Embolo and Sassuolo's Andrea Pinamonti.

Meanwhile, Hojlund could also be in competition with his United team-mate, with Corriere dello Sport saying that Joshua Zirkzee is another option for Napoli with Crystal Palace ’s Jean-Philippe Mateta and Roma’s Artem Dovbyk.

Hojlund is under contract with United until June 2028, while the club also holds the option to extend his stay by a further year. He struggled to make an impact last season, scoring just 10 goals in 52 matches and Amorim is ready to move on, with his record of 26 strikes in 95 games altogether not convincing.

There are less than two weeks remaining in the transfer window, but Milan sporting director Igli Tare has confirmed their interest. “Hojlund is a good option for us,” he said. “We are thinking about him, but in the transfer market, you never know what could happen.”

United are also trying to offload Jadon Sancho to Roma and Alejandro Garnacho to Chelsea, but have been frustrated by the difficulty in doing so. They have only succeeded in sending Marcus Rashford on loan to Barcelona and need more exits before they can move for a midfielder or goalkeeper.

Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.