Inter Milan remain interested in Manchester United striker Rasmus Højlund this summer and have formulated a new plan to sign him.
One of Manchester United’s key issues last season was the lack of a reliable goal scorer, with Rasmus Højlund struggling to lead the line.
Signed from Atalanta in the summer of 2023, a 20-year-old Højlund became the first-choice striker by default, largely due to Anthony Martial’s injury problems.
Despite scoring 16 goals in all competitions, fans hoped for further progress this year. Instead, Højlund regressed, with his form dipping badly, especially toward the end of the campaign.
The now 22-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away this summer and Inter Milan are interested in him, even if his preference is to remain at Old Trafford.
Inter have got to match United’s demands, however, with the Reds not willing to make a loss on Højlund this summer as they look to raise funds for more signings.
Inter formulate new Højlund transfer plan
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, United are still telling Inter that they will not sell Højlund for anything less than £38 million this summer as they do not want his exit to represent a loss on the books.
While the Reds are adamant on their valuation, Inter are now said to be ‘formulating’ a new plan to try and sign the Danish striker.
The Italian club cannot afford to pay £38 million on Højlund but are willing to pay a ‘significant’ loan fee in a deal where they would loan Højlund and then have the option to buy him next summer for slightly less than United’s price tag.
Inter are hoping that a large fee attached to the loan would help convince United of the move. The exact amount was not revealed in the report.
United will want obligation over option to buy Højlund
Attaching a large fee onto a loan could be a good idea if United are going to push Højlund out of the door but it remains obvious that an option to buy is something that will cause issues.
If the Reds are going to loan anyone this summer as they want to get rid of them – they need to try and agree obligations for the other team’s to buy the player… and don’t include an option for them to escape that agreement.
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Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Tyrell Malacia all had buy options (or even somehow obligations)in their loan contracts but none of the clubs are planning on activating them.
United would probably much rather see Højlund sold for their desired valuation than go out on loan, but if that is all Inter can offer, they need to demand for the deal to be an obligation to buy and not another option.
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