Manchester United tried offering Fred to Atalanta as part of the talks over the transfer for Rasmus Hojlund, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Writing in his exclusive CaughtOffside column, Romano explained that Man Utd are preparing an opening offer for Hojlund, but that Atalanta are only keen on getting cash for their star player.
Fred was one of the names the Red Devils discussed including in the deal, but Atalanta said no as they were not keen on strengthening in that area of the pitch, and simply want a straightforward fee for Hojlund.
“As I reported yesterday, Manchester United are now preparing their opening offer for Rasmus Hojlund. They have an agreement on personal terms with the Atalanta striker, it’s 100% agreed between United and the player, so they now just need to find a solution with his club,” Romano said.
“Atalanta won’t be easy to negotiate with, as they want €65-70m for Hojlund and have already rejected the possibility of signing United players as part of the deal. One of the players discussed was Fred, but Atalanta had no interest as they’re not looking for players there.
“Atalanta have made it very clear that they want money, not players; something around €70m. Manchester United are now expected to bid soon, let’s see how much, but they want Hojlund as their new striker, and he would also love the move to Old Trafford. Another other option being considered is Randal Kolo Muani, but at the moment the focus seems to be on Hojlund.
“My guest columnist Ben Jacobs has more on the Hojlund-United story here.”
The Denmark international is an exciting young talent who looks ideal for United right now, as they lack a real central striker in their squad following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo last season, while Wout Weghorst’s unsuccessful loan spell at Old Trafford has also come to an end.
Fred seems unlikely to have a future with United, so could’ve been a useful player to try offloading to bring the Hojlund fee down, but it seems Atalanta won’t be pushovers in these negotiations.
we need him