Juventus are eager to sign Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund. According to a report in Mirror, the Italian club are ready to offer midfielder Douglas Luiz as part of a possible swap deal.
With reports in the Italian media saying Dusan Vlahovic could leave Juventus, the club will require a replacement. The club, which has admired Hojlund ever since his Atalanta days, would gain £34m from Vlahovic’s sale.
On the other hand, Douglas Luiz has been unable to make a mark ever since his £42m move from Aston Villa less than a year ago. The midfielder, who was previously a talking point in many deadline-day transfers with interest emerging from Arsenal, is now looked upon as a trump card for any negotiation taking place.
He clocked only 812 minutes across 24 appearances at Juventus. While at times he missed the games due to injuries, Igor Tudor’s arrival saw him get only 17 minutes in the Serie A.
Manchester United, meanwhile, are moving towards a proper revamp. They are expected to sign Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers to bolster their attacking third. They have also been linked with strikers like Liam Delap and Victor Osimhen.
In case the aforementioned deals see daylight, Hojlund’s place in the starting lineup will be doubtful. The club had signed him in 2023 as a part of Erik ten Hag’s project for £72m. Although he was decent in his inaugural season, scoring 16 goals across 43 appearances, the ongoing campaign has seen a dip in his form.
Hojlund has scored only four goals in the Premier League. However, in the UEFA Europa League, he has spearheaded Manchester United’s attack with five goals and three assists.
Manchester United have faced goal-scoring problems in the current season. Joshua Zirkzee hasn’t scored much, netting only thrice in the Premier League. Hojliund’s performance and poaching abilities have also raised eyebrows.
At such a juncture, swapping the Danish forward for a central midfielder does not sound like a great idea for the Red Devils. Douglas Luiz, who appeared 204 times for Aston Villa, had registered 46 goal contributions. This included 22 goals and 24 assists. However, his tenure at Juventus hasn’t seen him contribute a single goal.
United have a stalwart like Bruno Fernandes, who is and will continue as the No.10 in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation. But fitting Luiz in the lineup seems a challenge. The Old Trafford-based outfit already has players like Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte to function in a similar role.
Thus, what Amorim needs now is a prolific goal-getter to strengthen his team’s title ambitions for the upcoming season.
Sattyik has been following the sport since his childhood as his parents are ardent Mohun Bagan supporters and also members of the club. He has, however, been supporting their rivals East Bengal since 2008. He was also part of a local football academy, specializing in central defense, but had to switch focus to studies. Among European teams, he follows Manchester United and their stalwart captain Nemanja Vidic.
Sattyik has interviewed multiple footballers like Alberto Noguera, Javier Siverio, Edu Bedia among others. He is always on the lookout for new stories and strives to share them within appropriate timelines.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho are Sattyik’s other favorite footballers. Among managers, he admires Sir Alex Ferguson, Xabi Alonso, Carlo Ancelotti, Johan Cruyff and Jose Mourinho because of their achievements and how they revolutionized the sport.
Sattyik was inspired by the grit and determination shown by Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League final as they came back from 3-0 down against AC Milan to win the trophy. When not working, he enjoys his time with books and music.
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