Manchester United have reportedly submitted a “letter of interest” in young Danish striker Rasmus Højlund, dubbed ‘the next Haaland’, as a number of clubs are said to have begun circling.
Rasmus Højlund is only 20 years old but has already started to attract the attention of United, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and more this season, as the youngster looks like he could be one of the brightest new talents in world football.
The promising centre-forward currently plays his club football for Serie A side Atalanta after joining them last summer, registering eight goals and three assists in 28 appearances (just 16 starts), but it’s also his performances for Denmark that have seen comparisons drawn to Erling Haaland.
Scoring five goals in just two games during the previous international break, one of which was an impressive hattrick against fellow Nordic nation Finland, both Danish and Italian press have teased that he could be ‘the next Haaland‘ and it looks like United aren’t wanting to miss out on this one.
#mufc, along with Real Madrid, have made an initial enquiry to Atalanta about Rasmus Hojlund's availability this summer. He could be available for £60m. [@DiscoMirror] pic.twitter.com/AgqFFQyhUn
As per Danish outlet B.T., “some of the biggest clubs in the world are courting” the in-demand Dane (as many as five thus far if rumours are to be believed) but United and Real Madrid are said to be the only two that “have concretely shown their interest in the form of a so-called letter of interest”.
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Nevertheless, whilst nothing firm has materialised as yet — with Højlund still without an agent and only likely to entertain another move once he has new representation — this preliminary approach has been described as a “clear indication that the two giants have big thoughts about the Danish golden boy”.
According to the Mirror, it would seem that United now have a three-man shortlist when it comes to their search for a centre-forward, with Højlund said to be just behind the likes of Harry Kane and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, both of which have been linked with moves to Old Trafford.
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It’s been suggested that his signature would cost around £60 million this summer, which might sound like a lot for someone still so young, but with 14 goals and six assists in 36 games across all competitions this season for Atlanta and former club Sturm Graz, you can see why clubs are interested.
Highlight reels like this make the ‘next Haaland’ sound less over the top.
Moreover, it isn’t just these impressive early stats that has seen him slapped with the ‘Haaland 2.0’ tag; hailing from a fellow Scandinavian country doesn’t hurt and nor does a quick turn pace plus his six-foot-two stature — natural attributes that are only further complimented by his apparent finishing ability.
In fact, not only did his coach Gian Piero Gasperini say there are lots of similarities “especially in acceleration… low centre of gravity and an incredible stride frequency”, but even Højlund himself has compared himself to the Norwegian striking sensation in the past.
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Lastly, it’s no secret that United are in need of a proper number nine and, equally, the forward said back in January that he “can’t hide the fact that [he is] a huge Manchester United fan” and that a move “would be one of the biggest things for me”.
Would you like to see ‘the next Haaland’ up front for United, Reds, or do you want a more proven talent?
Featured Image — Rasmus Højlund/Erling Haaland (via Instagram)
Sport
Manchester United in talks with Disney over ‘multi-million-dollar documentaries’ deal
Danny Jones
Manchester United are said to be in talks with Disney over a potential deal to create a number of “multi-million-dollar documentaries”.
Just a week or so after the first trailer for their upcoming 99 series on Amazon Prime Video, which will follow their iconic treble-winning campaign – and only a couple weeks after Manchester City dropped their own over on Netflix – it looks like we’re getting more Manchester football media.
As per the report by The Athletic‘s Adam Crafton, the discussion between the footballing icons and entertainment giants centres around the proposal to make multiple documentaries about the club, with a specific focus on Sir Alex Ferguson and the legacy he left behind.
With Disney+ now the third biggest streaming service available, boasting more than 150 million subscribers according to the most recent estimates, and Man United still one of the most instantly recognisable brands on the planet, it goes without saying that the viewing figures would be huge.
NEW: Manchester United in multi-million dollar negotiations with @Disney over a deal to make documentaries. Initially with a view to create content about Sir Alex Ferguson’s era of success, including fresh extensive interview access to club’s former coach. https://t.co/VfKOlDdpH0
Man United and Disney are reportedly exploring a collaboration for multiple documentaries.
The article goes on to detail how the prospective documentaries would also ideally involve “substantial interview time with Ferguson”, the now 82-year-old former manager and footballing legend who won a total of 38 trophies in 26 years as the Man United boss.
Disney would reportedly also be given access to the club’s wealth of archive footage along with key ambassadors and figures from their rich sporting heritage, including former captain Bryan Robson, goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel and more.
We’d be surprised if you didn’t see plenty of David Beckham, Gary Neville and other Class of ’92 members involved as well, sitting as arguably the most iconic and foremost serial winners in their history.
As the plans are still in their infancy, Ferguson and his former players would need to formally agree to be part of the documentaries and United would have their say over final edits.
It is said that the current deal on the table is “in the low seven figures” and is actually lower than the terms originally offered to the club when the idea was first floated a couple of years ago.
There is still no indication as to how many projects could be in the pipeline or when we might see the first released if/when a deal is agreed upon.
As for out on the pitch itself, it’s been a turbulent season for the Red Devils, to say the least, but they have still managed to secure a place in the FA Cup final for the second year running following a game they made difficult for themselves against Coventry City.
Set to be just the second Manchester derby final in history, kick-off has once again been moved to an earlier start time to aid with travel issues and potential crowd problems.
FA Cup final confirmed for 3pm kick-off time as Metropolitan Police stress safety for fans
Danny Jones
The start time for the 2023/24 FA Cup final has officially been confirmed with holders Manchester City and challengers Manchester United set to kick off at 3pm on Saturday, 25 May.
It’s a Manc final for the second year running and yet another Manchester Derby this year as City beat Chelsea on penalties to try and defend one of their trophies from last season and Man United did just about enough to scrape through against Coventry City this past weekend.
Logistics and travel arrangements for the conclusion of last year’s FA Cup proved problematic, with the Metropolitan Police stressing that they needed the schedule brought forward to try and help curb crowd trouble – the first time the final had been reverted back to a traditional 3pm start since 2011.
Kick-off times for the knockout tournament have varied for the last three finals, having taken place at 4:45 and 5:15pm in the two years prior to 2023’s first-ever all-Manchester final, but it looks as though the same rationale has been put in place once again.
The kick-off time for the FA Cup final has been confirmed for 3pm.
As per an official statement by the FA, the final has now been officially confirmed as 3pm BST which has been agreed with local authorities, members of the Safety Advisory Group and broadcasters, as well as with the clubs who must take the time needed for fans to travel to and from Wembley into consideration.
While pockets of fighting broke out before and after the game last year, it was deemed that this time would still be the best kick-off time for all parties involved and there will, of course, be an increased police presence in London for the game next month.
Although prioritising safety comes as welcome news, it’ll no doubt prove to be a blow to broadcasters who prefer later kick-offs when eyeing up peak audience numbers; the game is also set to clash with ITV’s coverage of the rugby as the Investec Champions Cup final is also due to start at 2:45pm.
With last season’s historic FA Cup final being the first time the two sides had met in the final in the entire history of the oldest competition in all of football, it rounded off a massive year of viewing figures for the tournament which has continued to hit record numbers in 2024.
The game will once again be shown live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and ITV1; ITVX, UTV, as well as STV, and there will no doubt be huge screenings of the game all over Greater Manchester, where an increased police presence is also expected.
Danny Jones -
20th April 2023 
