Manchester United move ahead of Arsenal in race to sign forward: Reports

Manchester United have reportedly moved ahead of Arsenal in the transfer race to sign Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Hojlund, 20, has emerged as one of the hottest talents in the world in the ongoing 2022-23 season. He has scored 15 goals and laid out seven assists in just 2468 first-team minutes for Atalanta and Austrian side Sturm Graz so far.

A left-footed mobile forward blessed with pace and strength, Hojlund shot to fame due to his five goals in two UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers for Denmark earlier this March. As a result, he has attracted attention from the Red Devils.

However, earlier this week, Calciomercato reported that Arsenal are considered to be the favorites to snap up the FC Copenhagen academy graduate. The Gunners are currently in the market to rope in a competitor for Gabriel Jesus.

Now, according to The Athletic, Manchester United have approached Atalanta a number of times about formulating a deal to sign Hojlund in the past. They have dethroned Mikel Arteta's side as the favorites to land the attacker's signature.

Hojlund, who joined La Dea from Sturm Graz for around £15 million last summer, could prove to be a brilliant signing for the Red Devils. He could replace Anthony Martial as the first-choice number nine should he decide to join them.

Arsenal urged to sign Manchester United-linked midfielder this summer

Speaking on talkSPORT, former Aston Villa star Gabriel Agbonlahor urged Arsenal to beat Manchester United in the transfer race to sign West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice this summer. He elaborated:

"Rice is a must. I don't care what Manchester United offer. I don't care what any other club offers... they should offer more. They missed out on [Mykhailo] Mudryk. It now looks like a good thing. But don't miss out on Rice."

When asked if he is worried about the Gunners missing out on Rice's services this summer, Agbonlahor continued:

"Yeah, but I hope not. Declan Rice. Would he want to stay in London? He's got a young family. Arsenal is a big club and they have Champions League football as well next season. He knows that he is guaranteed to start every game. You look at Manchester United... they have [Christian] Eriksen, [Bruno] Fernandes and Casemiro."

Rice, 24, has emerged as a topic of speculation since the turn of the year as he is in the final 13 months of his deal. Apart from the aforementioned two clubs, he has also drawn interest from the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City.

Overall, the 2020 UEFA Euro finalist has registered 15 goals and 13 assists in 244 appearances for West Ham.