Rasmus Hojlund completes permanent £38m Napoli move after loan redemption

Rasmus Hojlund has permanently joined Napoli for £38m after Manchester United confirmed the transfer on their official website, ending a disappointing two-year association with the club that cost them £72m to begin in 2023.

The Danish striker spent the 2024-25 season on loan at the Italian club, scoring 16 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions. His form was strong enough to convince Napoli head coach Antonio Conte to trigger the option to make the deal permanent, with the move having been agreed in principle between the two clubs back in January.

Hojlund’s time at Old Trafford had been defined by underperformance. Signed from Atalanta in the summer of 2023, he managed just 14 goals in 62 appearances in all competitions for United — a return that left him a peripheral figure and the subject of mockery among sections of the fanbase, who dubbed him ‘Rasmiss’. United’s dissatisfaction with the forward was underlined last summer when they spent a further £66.3m to sign Benjamin Sesko.

The move to Naples proved the reset Hojlund needed. He contributed to Napoli’s Supercoppa Italiana triumph and their Serie A runners-up finish, and is reported to have had no desire to return to Manchester. United’s official statement acknowledged his contribution to the club, noting he was part of the squad that won the Emirates FA Cup in May 2024, coming off the bench in the final against Manchester City at Wembley.

“Rasmus Hojlund has joined Napoli on a permanent transfer,” the club’s statement read. “Everyone at the club would like to wish Rasmus all the very best for the future.”

United have now recouped £38m of the £72m they paid Atalanta two years ago, crystallising a significant loss on a signing that never delivered on its considerable promise at Old Trafford. With Sesko now leading the line, the club’s rebuild under new management moves forward without the Dane.