Gazzetta – Napoli up bid for Hojlund, De Laurentiis goes all in | OneFootball

Gazzetta – Napoli, all in on Hojlund: De Laurentiis has increased the offer to the striker…

Let’s go, as they say everywhere now, but moving slowly, because the pace of the transfer market is set by too many different and not always converging interests. And in this marathon, which practically began a week ago, right after Lukaku’s injury, and has continued step by step, precisely to remain faithful to the mother of all negotiations these days, patience, steady nerves, and even a pinch of healthy boldness are required. Giovanni Manna, Napoli’s sporting director, wouldn’t confirm it even under torture, but his daily phone calls with Manchester (Old Trafford area) and the Hojlund household remain the priority, and even yesterday he made sure to recharge his phone: optimism reigns supreme and in these cases, as they say over there, God save the King. Rasmus Hojlund (22 years old) has overtaken any other competitor, reducing Tolu Arokodare (25 in November), Nicolas Jackson (24), and the more distant Artem Dovbik (28) to “subjects”: there’s still a winding path to travel but it seems a light is appearing at the end of the avenue. Manchester United has said yes to a paid loan, the “little Dane” is still stuck in his own desires, but Napoli has moved ahead, has prepared a plan they hope will be convincing from a financial point of view, and with four and a half million net per season, they’re trying to seduce the striker to push him to abandon the idea of a mandatory buyout clause. Then there’s more, of course, and these are the discussions from previous days: Napoli has reiterated to Hojlund that they consider him central this season, in which there will be games every three days between the league and Champions League, to defend the Scudetto and play a leading role in Europe. And a showcase like that, whatever happens, cannot be ignored. But Napoli also believes they can think about the future, but with the prudence that a club sensitive to its balance sheet cannot abandon: the buyout right can also be addressed later, taking into account everything that happens over the course of nine months, or maybe not, because such a young striker, once integrated into the city, becomes an asset to protect even for himself.

Hojlund’s value for United fluctuates between 40 and 45 million euros, and Napoli is aware that in a market where prices are anything but controlled, no one is shocked by such a valuation: but in the meantime, other things should be done, for example Janlu Sanchez (22) from Sevilla who continues to say no to any Premier League proposal, or Eljif Elmas (26) who is confidently awaiting a response from Leipzig, to whom one and a half million has been offered for the loan and another ten and a half for the buyout (but now Roma is also lurking). However, these have become secondary arguments because now, having already spent 155 million euros, you don’t have to be a housewife from Voghera to start counting: and De Laurentiis, who has not shied away from investments, still doesn’t like to take steps longer than his legs. But the all-in on Hojlund is a temptation, not a gamble.

Carlo Gioia

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.