Man Utd transfer news LIVE: £72m Hojlund deal ANNOUNCED, Mason Greenwood decision LATEST, takeover winner EXCLUSIVE
RASMUS HOJLUND'S move to Manchester United has been confirmed by the club.
It's reported United paid Atalanta £72million for the striker's services after weeks of negotiations.
Meanwhile, United boss Erik ten Hag has spoken about Mason Greenwood with the decision on the striker's future likely to be "made in days".
United play two friendlies this weekend against Lens and Athletic Bilbao.
Ten Hag on Hojlund
Erik ten Hag has welcomed Man Utd's new signing Rasmus Hojlund and is confident he will score goals.
The manager said: "He is a real front man. Very direct through the goal. Very good presser. Has physical presence. In the balance of this squad, we needed that.
"It's all that's in his mind. He wants to score goals."
EXCLUSIVE: Sheikh it up
Man Utd are convinced they will get a deal done by November to sell the club to the Qataris.
But those discussions are understood to have taken a big leap forward in recent weeks, with a £6billion sale now close.
Qatari Sheikh Jassim’s team have been doing due diligence ahead of a final formal offer.
They are ahead of Brit Sir Jim Ratcliffe in the race
FT: Man Utd 3-1 Lens
It was a good win for Manchester United as Rasmus Hojlund watched on from the stands.
The Red Devils fell behind to an audacious chip from Florian Sotoca, who lobbed Andre Onana from 40 yards.
Marcus Rashford, Antony and Casemiro all scored second-half goals.
Onana concedes stunner
Andre Onana has conceded a stunning goal from the halfway line versus Lens.
Man Utd went 1-0 down to Florian Sotoca's incredible lob finish.
Despite the strike, some fans have criticised Onana for his positioning, joking they'd like a refund.
Hojlund injured already
Manchester United's new star striker Rasmus Hojlund will miss the start of the season after picking up an injury in Atalanta's pre-season.
The issue is meant to be minor but it could take him a few weeks to find match fitness, according to reports.
Man Utd play Wolves in their Prem opener on August 14.
Ras Hour
Erik ten Hag has his man.
The manager has been crying out for a new striker and Rasmus Hojlund is who the club has landed on.
'Exceptional talent'
Man Utd director John Murtough has welcomed Rasmus Hojlund to the club.
"Rasmus is a truly exceptional talent. He possesses technical and physical attributes which rank him amongst the best players in the world for his age group.
"Working under Erik ten Hag and his coaches will provide Rasmus with the perfect development platform.
"Everyone across the club will ensure that he is given the time and all the support required to reach his immense potential.
“Throughout the summer we have acted quickly and decisively to secure our primary targets early in the transfer window.
"This will ensure that Erik and his coaches have the best opportunity to prepare the squad to push for further success in the exciting campaign ahead.”
Hojlund's thoughts
Rasmus Hojlund has said: "It is no secret that I have been a fan of this great club since I was a small boy, and I dreamed of walking out at Old Trafford as a Manchester United player.
"I am incredibly excited by this opportunity to turn that dream into a reality, and I am determined to repay the faith that the club has shown in me.
"It is still early in my career, but I know that I am ready to make this step up and play with this group of world-class players.
“Once I had spoken to the manager, I knew that this environment would be perfect for my development; I am relishing the opportunity to work with one of the best coaches in the world.
"Under his guidance and support I know that I am capable of achieving great things together with my new teammates at this special club.”
He is here
Rasmus Hojlund has arrived at Man Utd.
He has walked out the tunnel, hugged mascot Fred the Red and held his shirt up in the centre circle.
BREAKING: Hojlund joins Man Utd
Rasmus Hojlund welcome to Manchester United.
The official Twitter account have just dropped a teasing video of him pulling on the shirt.
Ten Hag: 'No friendlies'
Erik ten Hag has stressed that he and his players take friendlies very seriously ahead of game versus Lens and Athletic Bilbao this weekend.
He said: "There are no friendly matches and we go into pre-season games with the intention of winning, just like we always do.
"However, the result doesn't matter as much in pre-season. It's about the preparation that these games provide for the start of the season."
United team vs Lens
Man Utd face Lens in a pre-season friendly this afternoon.
And Erik ten Hag has named a strong side with home debuts for new signings Mason Mount and Andre Onana.
Starting XI: Onana, Dalot, Martinez, Varane, Shaw, Casemiro, Mount, Fernandes, Antony, Garnacho, Rashford.
Subs: Heaton, Kolar, Lindelof, Maguire, Wan-Bissaka, Eriksen, Hannibal, Pellistri, Van de Beek, Forson, Sancho.
High praise
Ramsus Hojlund has been heavily praised by his Atalanta team-mates after just a year with them.
On the 20-year-old, Rafael Toloi said: "Hojlund is a great talent, physically strong and with great speed."
And Marten de Roon added: "I didn’t expect him to be this strong.
"When he joined, his qualities were noticeable, but maybe his first touch and conditioning were a bit lacking.
"He has incredible quickness and the stamina to go for the entire 90 minutes now."
Hoj shot
Man Utd fans could be shocked by the pace of Rasmus Hojlund.
He has been compared to Erling Haaland by Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini, who claimed he might even be quicker than the Man City man.
Gasperini said: "The characteristics are very similar, especially in accelerations.
"He is a very fast player, he does the 100 meters in less than 11 seconds.
"For his height, he has a low centre of gravity and an incredible stride frequency.
"I’m convinced he will have a great career. Technically, he always shows different and better things."
Summer spending
Man Utd have now closed out deals worth a reported £179m this summer.
Ramsus Hojlund's move is worth a total of £72m if all add-ons are hit.
The signing of Andre Onana was valued at £47m.
And Mason Mount's arrival from Chelsea cost United £55m, potentially going up to £60m with add-ons.
Hojlund's record
Rasmus Hojlund netted ten goals for Atalanta last season in 34 games.
He only joined the club last summer in a £15m deal from Austrian side Sturm Graz, where he scored 12 in 21 matches.
He begun his career in his homeland with FC Copenhagen, finding the back of the net five times in 32 games.
Hojlund has netted six in six for the Danish national team.
Hojlund announcement
An announcement on Rasmus Hojlund's move to Manchester United is expected today.
The Danish striker will likely be unveiled during United's pre-season clash with Lens.
The Red Devils have been after a striker all summer and they've finally got their man, though he'll cost a pretty penny.
It's been reported United will pay Atalanta £72m for the 20-year-old.
Getting Nev-ous
Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher both admitted they cannot rest on their laurels or they will risk being axed by Sky Sports bosses.
The two greats regularly go head-to-head in debates while covering the Premier League for the broadcaster.
The former Manchester United and Liverpool defenders are the stars of Monday Night Football and offer brilliant insight into the game.
However, with Sky Sports recent freshen-up that has seen Soccer AM axed and some of the channel's star names leave, they are both concerned over their futures.
Mag-ical
New footage has revealed that Eddie Howe turned Erik ten Hag’s “annoying” comments about Newcastle into motivation for his team.
The Magpies are set to star in a brand new Amazon Prime Video documentary called “We Are Newcastle United” that will be aired on August 11.
It follows the North East side’s campaigns last season, where they were defeated in the Carabao Cup Final at Wembley by United.
But despite that setback, Newcastle still managed to secure Champions League qualification with a top four finish.
One of the games that helped seal fourth-place was a 2-0 victory over the Red Devils at St. James’ Park in April as goals from Joe Willock and Callum Wilson blew United away.
Now the new documentary has revealed that Howe read out some unflattering remarks about his side made by Ten Hag to get them fired up just before kick-off.
A Nou hope
Alexis Sanchez is reportedly on the verge of a shock return to Barcelona.
The 34-year-old Chilean forward racked up 63 goals in 154 top-flight matches for both Arsenal and Manchester United.
His best spell in England undoubtedly came with the Gunners, where he won the FA Cup twice after joining from Barcelona in 2014.
But after his miserable spell at Old Trafford from January 2018, Sanchez was loaned to Inter in 2019-20 before joining the Serie A giants permanently.
Two years later, he signed for Marseille and scored 14 goals in 35 Ligue 1 games last season.
However, after only penning a one-year deal, he is now a free agent.
Pot luck
Bayern Munich are odds-on favourites to sign Tottenham centre-forward Harry Kane.
That's according to bookmakers Sky Bet, who've again reduced the price of Kane joining the Bundesliga champions before the transfer window closes in September.
The Bavarian heavyweights are now odds-on favourites at 4/6 to conclude a deal for the England international.
And those odds could again shorten with Bayern Munich poised to improve on their £81.7million proposal.
Sky Sports claim that Thomas Tuchel's side are set to submit a more substantial offer to the Premier League side, and are 'confident' of striking a deal.
Gift of the Gab
Gabriel Agbonlahor has sensationally suggested that Mason Mount is not good enough to start for Manchester United.
Mount, 24, joined the Red Devils in a £60million transfer from Chelsea last month.
He has already made five pre-season appearances for the club, but Agbonlahor is not convinced that he will be the important player Erik ten Hag needs when the Premier League season kicks off.
The former striker went as far as to suggest that Mount is not even good enough to play for Aston Villa.
When naming his combined United and Villa XI on talkSPORT, he said: "He doesn't even make the bench, mate. He's the last sub on the bench.
"Mason Mount is nowhere near making that team, nowhere near."
A-bat time
Man Utd are close to finalising the move for midfield target Sofyan Amrabat, according to reports.
This comes as secret talks have taken place between Fiorentina and United's representatives.
Amrabat is now United's top target with the signing of striker Rasmus Hojland all but complete.
The holding midfielder was one of the standout players in the Qatar World Cup, after his side sensationally reached the semi-finals for the first time.
His performances caught the eyes of Europe's biggest sides, including PSG, Atletico Madrid and Liverpool.
Fiorentina want around £30million for the 26-year-old Moroccan international, who has one year left on his contract.
Takeover close - exclusive
Man Utd are convinced they will get a deal done by November to sell the club to the Qataris.
But those discussions are understood to have taken a big leap forward in recent weeks, with a £6billion sale now close.
Qatari Sheikh Jassim’s team have been doing due diligence ahead of a final formal offer.
They are ahead of Brit Sir Jim Ratcliffe in the race. Fans feared that Ratcliffe’s Ineos group would still allow the Glazers a minority holding.
Striker seen
Mason Greenwood broke cover as a decision on the suspended striker's future looms.
Greenwood, 21, was snapped being driven by his dad near to their Manchester home.
He looked tense today as he sat in the passenger seat of the blue Mercedes bearing a worried expression.
The striker has not played for Manchester United since he was arrested in January last year.
He was later charged with attempted rape, assault and controlling and coercive behaviour, before the charges were dropped in February.
Meanwhile, Utd have been conducting their own investigation into the allegations.
