Hojlund’s road through hell – from Devil to Devil

AC Milan sporting director Igli Tare has confirmed that he is working on two possible tracks to bring in a new center forward. One leads to Dusan Vlahovic, the other to Rasmus Hojlund. Max Allegri, unsurprisingly, would prefer Vlahovic, but signing the Serbian international is extremely complicated and would create additional problems.

Even though Dusan would be earning less than he does at Juventus, his salary would not fall below 7 million euros, making him the highest-paid player in the Rossoneri squad. Since the club will need to renew several contracts expiring either next summer or in 2027, Vlahovic’s salary would inevitably give those players a reason to demand more than Milan is willing to pay. In that scenario, it’s highly likely that Leao—currently on €5 million plus bonuses that bring him close to the 7 milion euros mark—would also come knocking for a raise.

With Hojlund, the financial aspect is much simpler: the Dane earns around 4 milion euros a year. However, he does not want to leave Manchester United—or, more precisely, he doesn’t want to go out on loan. His condition for agreeing to a transfer is either an outright permanent deal or a loan with an obligation to buy. Based on the experiences of his predecessors at United, the former Atalanta striker does not want to be treated like a “postal package” sent to a different destination every summer.

Hojlund needs to be convinced by Milan

That’s where the problem with United arises. The English club would like to send Hojlund on loan—which would cost Milan around 5 milion euros, a request the Rossoneri don’t object to—but for a permanent deal, especially one with an obligation to buy, they are demanding at least 45 milion euros. Far too much, in Milan’s view.

Milan can afford to wait, as Allegri has a backup plan with a 3-5-2 system if the desired center forward doesn’t arrive. Leao has not only adapted well to his new role as a striker but is also clearly enjoying it. His injury against Bari is not serious, and at Milanello they are hopeful the Portuguese star will be fit to start the match against Cremonese.