Chelsea to rival Manchester United in race for Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund
Premier League rivals Chelsea are set to rival Manchester United in the race for Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund, according to the Daily Mail (h/t Mirror).
The Blues held discussions with the Serie A outfit’s chairman Antonio Percassi last month. In the Stamford Bridge side’s win over Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16 of the Champions League, the West London club hosted La Dea’s chief.
Chelsea recently parted ways with Graham Potter after the 2-0 loss to Aston Villa. However, the Blues could go ahead with their plans to acquire the Denmark international, who is valued at £60 million, without a head coach.
The Stamford Bridge side have put in considerable investment in their squad over the last two transfer windows. However, the Blues have struggled to find the back of the net.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has hardly played for the West London club since his summer move from Barcelona. January signing David Datro Fofana is still young and inexperienced. As a result, Chelsea have relied on Kai Havertz up top for most of the season.
Hojlund signed for Atalanta in the summer of 2022. The 20-year-old has caught a lot of people’s attention with some impressive displays in Bergamo. The Dane also thrived for his national side in the recent international break.
Apart from United, English top-flight table-toppers Arsenal have also been linked with the striker. The Red Devils evidently need to bolster their front line, considering Anthony Martial and Wout Weghorst are the only natural number nines at Erik ten Hag’s disposal.
The Old Trafford side have had to rely on Marcus Rashford to find the back of the net on a consistent basis. Other forwards have not contributed enough under the Dutch manager.
Therefore, United seemingly need to add a prolific goalscorer to their ranks next summer. However, Hojlund is still young and is yet to prove his goal-scoring ability on a regular basis. Thus, it would be wise for the Red Devils to pursue a more experienced striker for now.
