Rasmus Hojlund completes permanent £38m move to Napoli after loan season

Rasmus Hojlund has left Manchester United permanently, joining Napoli for €44 million (£38m) after the Italian club triggered a purchase obligation following their second-place finish in Serie A. United confirmed the deal this week, ending the 23-year-old’s two-year association with the club.

Napoli had initially paid €6m (£5.2m) to take Hojlund on loan at the start of the 2025/26 season. He repaid that investment with 16 goals and six assists across 44 appearances in all competitions, contributing to Napoli’s Supercoppa Italiana triumph and their Champions League qualification. His overall United record stood at 26 goals in 95 appearances after signing from Atalanta in the summer of 2023.

Former England striker Michael Owen had argued that Hojlund’s underwhelming spell at Old Trafford was a product of the team’s dysfunction rather than a true reflection of his ability. “I don’t care who you play up front, it’s very hard to judge when the team aren’t functioning,” Owen told Premier League Productions. “Strikers are the end of the chain — if the chain is broken, it’s pointless in many ways. He played in a Manchester United team that was broken and didn’t have any links and played poorly. Who’s to say he’s not really good? He’s doing really well in Italy now.”

Owen drew a parallel with Benjamin Šeško, suggesting that several United forwards in recent years may have been unfairly written off due to a lack of service rather than a lack of quality. “I just wonder how much wastage there has been for many years,” he said. “Everyone says the purchases have been poor and that might be the case, but sometimes they might not get a fair crack of the whip because they don’t get the service.”

In their farewell statement, United noted that Hojlund was part of the squad that lifted the FA Cup in May 2024, coming on as a substitute in the final against Manchester City at Wembley. The club wished him well for the next chapter of his career in Naples.