Manchester United striker Rasmus Højlund is set to join Napoli on an initial loan with a view to a permanent move, reports have revealed.
Højlund had stated publicly that he wanted to stay and fight for his place at Old Trafford this season but, having failed to even make a matchday squad following the arrival of Benjamin Šeško from RB Leipzig, opened the door to a possible departure.
The young striker made it clear he would only listen to permanent offers of an exit from Old Trafford, refusing to entertain the idea of a simple loan, and Napoli soon indicated a willingness to negotiate such a move after losing Romelu Lukaku to injury.
The Athletic were among those to reveal on Friday that United had accepted a bid from Napoli which would see a loan move for Højlund turn permanent if Antonio Conte’s side qualify for the 2026–27 Champions League, but the Denmark international had not yet given his approval to the move.
Now, however, Højlund has accepted the proposal and Fabrizio Romano has confirmed a deal has now been fully agreed between everyone involved.
United are set to receive a loan fee of €6 million (£5.2 million, $7 million) and have agreed to a permanent sale worth €44 million. If that clause is not automatically triggered by Napoli’s European qualification, the Serie A side are believed to have retained the option to strike a permanent deal at the same price.
Højlund is now due to travel to Italy for a medical ahead of putting pen to paper on a contract and resuming a Serie A career which was full of significant promise when he made his name at Atalanta.
10 goals in 34 games for Atalanta convinced United to spend a whopping £72 million in 2023, but Højlund struggled to maintain that form in England. He netted 26 times in 95 outings for the Red Devils before falling behind Šeško in Ruben Amorim’s thinking.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Report: Rasmus Hojlund Agrees Permanent Man Utd Exit.