Chelsea and Manchester United told to pay £86 million to sign highly rated forward - Reports

Atalanta will reportedly ask for £86 million for striker Rasmus Hojlund, who has been linked with Manchester United and Chelsea.

According to the Daily Mail, the Serie A giants feel that their valuation of Hojlund reflects the current market situation due to a shortage of high-quality strikers. Atalanta also reportedly see immense potential in the 20-year-old, who they signed last summer from Austrian Bundesliga side SK Sturm Graz.

The report adds that Hojlund recently signed with football agency SEM, who also represents Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag. That has led to rumblings that United would hold an advantage in negotiations for Hojlund. However, Atalanta reportedly want to stay in control, with Chelsea also interested in the player.

It remains to be seen if either Premier League giant match the Italian side's valuation of Hojlund, who still has four years left in his contract. The forward played 42 games across competitions during the 2022-23 season, recording 16 goals and seven assists, averaging a goal every 160 minutes. He has also scored four times in five games for Denmark.

Hojlund first came into focus for his exploits in Denmark with FC Copenhagen. The youngster scored 15 goals in 27 games for Copenhagen's U19 side and netted five times in 791 minutes of action for the senior team. He added to his growing reputation by scoring 12 goals in 21 games for Sturm Graz.

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Who are the other strikers Manchester United and Chelsea have been linked with this summer?

Reports indicate that Manchester United and Chelsea have other options in mind if they're unable to sign Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta this summer.

The Red Devils have been linked with Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane, with the aforementioned Daily Mail report also saying that the club want a seasoned goalscorer. Napoli's Victor Osimhen has also been mooted as an option, too.

However, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported earlier this week that Manchester United are looking at other options. Romano said that United believe Spurs do not intend to sell Kane to them, so United not want a transfer saga.

Osimhen, meanwhile, is valued at a whopping £150 million by Napoli, according to talkSPORT. The Nigerian, 24, guided them to the 2022-23 Serie A title and scored 31 goals across competitions, including 26 in 32 league games.

Chelsea, meanwhile, will see Romelu Lukaku return from a season-long loan at Inter Milan. However, Romano has reported that Lukaku is keen to return to Inter, having previously played for them between 2019 and 2021.

The Blues have more recently been linked with 21-year-old Villarreal striker Nicolas Jackson, who scored 12 goals in 26 La Liga games in the 2022-23 season. They're also reported to have an interest in Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic and Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe (via Sky Sports).