Manchester United beat off interest from a Premier League rival to sign Rasmus Hojlund, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Hojlund made his United debut from the bench during Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
The 20-year-old completed a £72million move to the Old Trafford club from Atalanta, signing a five-year deal with the option of an extra 12 months.
Hojlund made quite the impression upon replacing Anthony Martial in the 68th minute of the Arsenal encounter.
Indeed, upon his debut, United legend Gary Neville told Sky Sports: “Manchester United have not had a striker they can hit. Ronaldo was not a classic target man, [Anthony] Martial and [Marcus] Rashford certainly aren't, but it looks as though he will mess people about. The good thing is that he's still learning the game.
“He's only played a couple of seasons at top-level football, but people are expecting him to be an Erling Haaland for Manchester United. They don't have anyone with experience to help or back him up.”
Hojlund was one of the most sought-attackers in Europe this summer, with Paris Saint-Germain having also registered an interest in the Dane. Indeed, in an interview with the Danish press (via Football365) earlier this week, Hojlund revealed there had been interest from several clubs.
And as per transfer guru Romano, Tottenham were among those keen on the player’s signature, having seen their talisman Harry Kane depart to Bayern Munich in a move worth up to £100million.Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column: “Rasmus Hojlund gave an interview yesterday to Danish media, saying that there were other clubs interested in him this summer, but that he wanted to keep the names of those clubs to himself. He says his priority was always Manchester United, and that’s all absolutely true.
“I remember saying earlier in the summer that there were other clubs pursuing Hojlund, but that I would mention it after the end of the transfer window.
“Now can be the moment. Still, to be clear, it is very true that Hojlund only wanted Manchester United, and he appointed new agents in order to get a move to Old Trafford – that was his mission from the beginning of the summer.
“He told the agency that they have three months, and if they get him to Manchester United then he will become their client. They got it done, and it shows that this was his dream, having been a fan of United as a kid.
“Paris Saint-Germain also tried to enter the race, but the deal was never going to happen because Hojlund was already close to Manchester United. But there was also another English club and that club, from what I’m hearing, was Tottenham.
“They wanted to be informed on the conditions of the deal, but it was not possible for them at that time because Harry Kane was not sold yet to Bayern Munich – Hojlund’s arrival depended on Kane’s sale, but that only happened later in the window. Again, though, the player’s stance was ‘Let me focus on United because that’s my dream move’.
“When Tottenham eventually sold Kane, they had conversations with Ange Postecoglou and ultimately decided to go after different kinds of players.
“Brennan Johnson was one who came in, someone who can play different positions, and he looks a perfect player for Postecoglou’s ideas. So Tottenham are very happy with this signing, and of course, Man United are very happy with Hojlund.”
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