Man Utd “pushing like crazy” to sign another Hojlund

Right at the moment where Manchester United feel ready to kick on, the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era has often seen the club take a step backwards again, as was the case in the summer of 2023.

Like the most recent campaign, there was a sense of optimism brewing at Old Trafford following a respectable third-place finish under Erik ten Hag, with the Dutchman also winning the Carabao Cup and reaching the FA Cup final in his debut season at the helm.

Talk was rife that the former Ajax boss was lining up Harry Kane as his leading target that summer, although amid concerns over dealing with Daniel Levy’s Tottenham Hotspur, that pursuit never progressed, as the Red Devils instead turned toward Rasmus Hojlund.

Only 20 at the time, Hojlund was also the subject of concrete interest from Paris Saint-Germain, with it considered something of a coup when United ultimately struck an initial £64m deal for the Atalanta starlet.

Fast forward two years, and he was on his way to Napoli on loan after a difficult stint in Manchester, with it hard to shake the feeling that United grossly overpaid for the Dane. Could the same happen again this summer?

Man United “pushing like crazy” to seal big-money signing

Like with the case of Hojlund, so often have United favoured youth over ready-made, proven signings in recent years, with there perhaps a similar scenario set to occur with regard to their ongoing midfield search.

The likes of Bruno Guimaraes (28) and Sandro Tonali (26) appear in line to leave Newcastle United, amid interest from Arsenal and Spurs, respectively, but INEOS don’t appear to be in the market for that experienced duo.

Instead, having missed out on Elliot Anderson, the summer shortlist is centred on potential stars of the future, be it Adam Wharton, Alex Scott, Carlos Baleba and, of course, Mateus Fernandes.

In Fernandes’ case, the Portuguese does appear to have emerged as the club’s leading option, with Fabrizio Romano providing the latest on that ongoing battle for his signature.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano revealed that both United and Spurs are “pushing like crazy” to sign the 21-year-old, albeit with there no clear frontrunner as things stand.

“Manchester United and Tottenham are still fighting. Tottenham have been there for days trying to push with the player, pushing with his agent, but Manchester United remain in contact with West Ham. Man United are still working on the Mateus Fernandes deal.

“So West Ham have been clear with the agent of the player. The player will be sold for the best offer to the club offering the most money.

“…So many clubs interested in Mateus Fernandes, but now May United and Tottenham are pushing like crazy to get the deal done.”

It does remain to be seen whether INEOS will be willing to fork out for Fernandes’ reported £80m price tag.

Why Fernandes signing could have shades of Hojlund

In 2023, as noted above, Kane felt like the prime target, yet United were either unwilling or unable to cough up the required funds, having instead been forced to watch the Englishman reach even greater heights at Bayern Munich.

There are then parallels to this summer, with the aforementioned Anderson, now a teammate of Kane on the international stage, having clearly been INEOS’ top pick, only for United to back out of the bidding amid Manchester City’s rival interest.

Perhaps there was never any competing with the financial might of City, amid their impending £116m signing, although sometimes, like with Kane, premium players simply require premium price tags.

To think then that United may now have to pay over £80m for Fernandes, a player still just 21 and fresh off two successive relegations, might have alarm bells ringing, with that a significant sum for a player still in the early stages of his career.

The competition with Spurs is a signifier of his talent, yet that doesn’t always correlate to good business. Indeed, United previously went toe to toe with City for deals such as Alexis Sanchez and Fred, two men who didn’t exactly flourish at Old Trafford.

As already stated on Hojlund too, PSG’s parallel interest raised the excitement level, but it also potentially raised the price tag, with United forced into dishing out a sizeable fee for a player who had cost Atalanta just £15m a year earlier.

In Fernandes’ case, the former Southampton starlet had only made the move to east London 12 months ago for roughly half of what he is now set to cost.

Initially, United may have viewed this as a potential bargain move following the Hammers’ relegation, yet with a possible auction now underway, there is a risk of being played by the Championship outfit.

£80m feels particularly steep considering Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo arrived for £62.5m and £65m, respectively, only a year ago, the pair having scored 35 Premier League goals between them in 2024/25.

Going big on young talents has rarely proven fruitful for the Red Devils of late either, be it with regard to Jadon Sancho, Antony or with Hojlund, the Denmark striker ultimately netting just 26 goals in 95 games in all competitions.

That’s not to say young Fernandes might not explode in Manchester, having scored and assisted seven goals last term, but is there enough evidence there to suggest he warrants such a sizeable outlay?

As was the case in 2023, the chance is there for United to kick on and really raise the level of the squad – making expensive gambles on youth again may not be the way to do that.