Napoli’s sporting director, Giovanni Manna, confirmed that the definitive signing of Rasmus Højlund, currently on loan from Napoli Manchester Unitedit is practically a “formality”.
After the restructuring of United’s attack last summer, Højlund ended up being loaned for a season to Napoli, the current Serie A champions. The 22-year-old Danish striker was looking to relaunch his career and has fulfilled that objective.
Højlund has scored nine goals in all competitions with Antonio Conte’s team and has already won his first title with the club: the 2025–26 Supercoppa Italiana.
After the victory in the Super Cup final against Bologna, Højlund sent a message to his parent club on social media, publishing a photo with the trophy accompanied by the text: “This is what a great decision looks like.”
Napoli are very satisfied with his performance and Manna revealed that the attacker’s loan is destined to become a permanent transfer at the end of the season.
Questioned by Corriere dello Sport On whether Højlund’s permanent pass was a formality, Manna replied: “As of today, I think so.”
He added: “There is a purchase option and an obligation to purchase if we qualify for the Champions League. The player considers himself a Napoli footballer, and we see it that way too. That is extremely important.”
Although United initially paid 64 million pounds ($86 million) to Atalanta for Højlund in 2023, Napoli are expected to sign him for just 38 million. The operation aims to become another significant mistake by the ‘Red Devils’ in a period marked by bad decisions at Old Trafford.
Højlund talks about leaving Manchester United
Højlund came under heavy scrutiny after two discreet seasons at United. A debut campaign of 16 goals was followed by another with only 10 goals, with difficulties under the command of Ruben Amorim along with Joshua Zirkzee. Still, the attacker rejected the idea that he failed in Manchester.
In interview with Sports IllustratedHøjlund explained: “There was a lot of attention and a lot of pressure, obviously. But because I was a United fan, I felt I couldn’t turn down that step. And I think I did well.”
He added: “You can say that maybe I needed one more year at Atalanta, but I feel it was the right step for me. Especially in my first year, when I was the team’s top scorer, had a good Champions League and won a title with my teammates.”
Last summer, United opted for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Šeško as their new ‘9’ project, but the Slovenian has had an irregular start in English football. With only two goals in 16 games, his performance is far from striking and everything indicates that he will not match Højlund’s numbers in his first season.
