‘Main Option’—Rasmus Hojlund ‘in Talks’ Over Man Utd Exit | OneFootball

Inter are reported to have “made contact” with representatives of Manchester United striker Rasmus Højlund, as efforts to sign the under fire Dane step up.

The Champions League finalists lack depth behind the first-choice pairing of Lautaro Martínez and Marcus Thuram, and Højlund has emerged among a handful of options to strengthen.

The 22-year-old originally gained prominence during a short-lived spell in Serie A with Atalanta, scoring nine league goals in the 2022–23 campaign and prompting Manchester United to part with an initial £64 million ($86.4 million), plus add-ons, to take him to Old Trafford.

Højlund showed promise during his debut year, scoring 10 Premier League goals. He only mustered four in the competition in 2024–25, prompting intense criticism from the outside which didn’t impact United head coach Ruben Amorim, who continued to stick by the raw talent in the hope that goals would boost his confidence.

Højlund has retained Ruben Amorim’s support. / IMAGO/Sportsimage

Fabrizio Romano reports that recent days have seen talks between Inter officials and members of Højlund’s camp commence—it is likely an attempt to gauge his interest in a prospective transfer before pushing ahead with anything more formal. Romano adds that Højlund is a “main option”, but not the only one. Parma’s Ange-Yoan Bonny and “more” are also on the shortlist.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter have an approximate budget of €40 million (£33.8 million, $45.6 million) to spend on recruiting a new striker. The problem is that this figure is not considered enough to immediately buy Højlund outright, suggesting Inter might have to get creative with their proposal to Manchester United, should things progress that far.

The Premier League side have already bolstered their attacking ranks with the capture of Matheus Cunha after triggering the release clause in his Wolverhampton Wanderers contract. The Brazilian is primed to fill a No. 10 role, but could equally compete with Højlund up top.

There are now reports that Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo has made up his mind to join as well, snubbing Arsenal, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur in the process. A transfer fee still has to be negotiated with Brentford, though.