Rasmus Hojlund has reminded Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham why he's one of the most exciting young strikers to have emerged ahead of the summer transfer window. The 20-year-old striker has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League recently as he continues to impress for club and country.
He marked his first start for Denmark with a hat-trick against Finland, kickstarting his country's UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign in spectacular fashion. Hojlund then followed up his eye-catching performance with a further two goals against Kazakhstan inside the first-half, reminding everybody why he's a coveted player.
Despite the Atalanta star's best efforts, Denmark lost 3-2 after conceding twice in the dying embers of the tie. Nevertheless, Hojlund has excited fans across the world with many comparing his play-style, and meteoric rise to superstardom, to that of Erling Haaland.
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Hojlund, who sees his contract with the Italian outfit expire in 2027, has featured 23 times in the Serie A this season, directly contributing towards nine goals. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the youngster has been valued in excess of €40million (£35million) amid interest from Real Madrid and Arsenal, who are preparing a 'mega-money' move.
As quoted by The Sun, former Italy international Antonio Cassano has admitted that he sees the resemblance between Haaland and Hojlund, but prefers the latter. He said: "You think about who he resembles, Haaland quickly comes to mind, but I like Hojlund and I don't like Haaland."
Gian Piero Gasperini agrees. The Atalanta boss said: "The characteristics are very similar, especially in accelerations. He is a very fast player, he does the 100 meters in less than 11 seconds.
"For his height, he has a low centre of gravity and an incredible stride frequency. I'm convinced he will have a great career. Technically, he always shows different and better things."
However, while Arsenal fans may be excited by the links with Hojlund, the Dane has already claimed his allegiance is with Manchester United instead. In January, he admitted he is a fan of the Red Devils.
"Now that you ask, I will not hide the fact that I am a huge Manchester United fan," said Hojlund. "So personally, it would be one of the biggest things for me, but of course that doesn’t mean that I would turn down other big clubs if the offers come at some point."
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