Napoli and Man United have Hojlund agreement with Champions League obligation

Friday evening’s reports claim that Napoli and Manchester United now have a full agreement in place over a deal for former Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund, although the move still depends on the player giving his final approval. 

According to updates from The Athletic, Napoli and United have agreed a deal that will see Hojlund move to the Stadio Olimpico on loan for €6m with an obligation to buy in the event that the Partenopei qualify for next season’s Champions League. 

If that does prove to be the case, Napoli will be obliged to pay a further €44m to make Hojlund’s move permanent. 

As per The Athletic, the call is now up to Hojlund. He has not yet given his final approval to the move, which is required for it to be completed, but he is no longer part of the first-team plans at Old Trafford and has been left out of Ruben Amorim’s last three matchday squads altogether. 

Why Napoli want Hojlund 

Napoli have returned to the transfer market to seek a new centre-forward following the injury that Romelu Lukaku suffered in the team’s final pre-season friendly of the summer: A 2-1 victory over Olympiacos. 

The club confirmed soon after the friendly that Lukaku had suffered an injury to his thigh, with reports suggesting that he will be sidelined for around three to four months as a result. 

This left summer signing Lorenzo Lucca as the only other fit and available centre-forward in Antonio Conte’s squad. 

Napoli explored several options, but reports in Italy claim that Hojlund is Conte’s first choice to come in and replace Lukaku.