Man United turn attention to signing Aston Villa star after Rasmus Hojlund bid accepted

Man United turn attention to signing Aston Villa star after Rasmus Hojlund bid accepted

Ollie Watkins’ potential move to Manchester United this summer hinges on the future of Rasmus Hojlund, sources have told Football Insider.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke revealed what his sources have told him about the prospect of Watkins moving to Old Trafford.

Man United are on the hunt for a centre-forward this summer after Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee managed just seven Premier League goals between them last season, with an overhaul of their frontline planned.

Aston Villa are reluctant to sell Watkins to Man United as they prepare for next season’s Europa League campaign, but Football Insider sources have said the striker will be an ideal addition for the Red Devils.

Hojlund’s future remains up in the air at Old Trafford after his 10 goals in all competitions, and Man United are set to make a significant loss on the £72million they paid Atalanta to sign him two years ago.

With Matheus Cunha already signed for £62.5m and Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo close to becoming their second new arrival, sources have told Football Insider that Hojlund is key to United’s move for Watkins.

United have completed a big-money move for Matheus Cunha (Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media)

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Hojlund sale pivotal as Man United prepare Watkins bid

Napoli could offer Hojlund a surprise exit route from Old Trafford after Scott McTominay’s first season in Serie A proved to be the making of him, and this could open the door for United to bolster their frontline.

Watkins may be eight years Hojlund’s senior and turns 30 in December, but Man United are keen for him to become their first-choice striker immediately and potentially beat Arsenal to a statement signing.

Speaking on the new Inside Track, O’Rourke said that any such deal for Watkins won’t come easily for United given their difficult PSR position, but the possible sale of Hojlund could set the wheels in motion.

“If Man United are looking at a good centre-forward to come in and improve their squad, Ollie Watkins would tick a lot of boxes”, he told Football Insider.

“Rasmus Hojlund… a lot will depend on what happens with him, because United probably can’t afford to go out and buy Watkins on top of Mbuemo and Cunha.

“They will probably need to offload a couple of players to allow them the sort of wriggle room they’ll need, with FFP and PSR, to afford a deal for Watkins. I can see them moving for Watkins once they accept a Hojlund bid.”

United will look to beat Arsenal to Watkins’ signature this summer (Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media)

Man United make transfer strategy clear after Hojlund news

Although Man United shelled out over £70m to sign Hojlund from Atalanta in 2023, they banked heavily on the Dane’s potential after he had made just 87 senior club appearances and had scored 27 goals.

Hojlund has proven to be a bad bargain with just 26 goals in 95 appearances, and Ruben Amorim will hope that a player likes Watkins won’t feel the weight of Man United’s heavy shirt to the same extent.

Watkins is by no means a long-term solution to United’s plethora of evident issues, but a proven Premier League goalscorer with the dynamism to trouble defences could be exactly what his ailing side needs.

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