Searching for Hojlund: Milan out, Napoli in

Romelu Lukaku’s injury has completely reshaped the final ten days of the transfer window in Italy. After being turned down in their pursuit of Pio Esposito, Napoli shifted their focus to Rasmus Hojlund, trying to snatch him away from Milan, who have already been in negotiations with Manchester United and the player for several days. Napoli have a few advantages on their side: they are ready to take the player immediately, without a loan-with-option formula unlike Milan; they are competing in the Champions League this season; and, last but not least, players who have come to Naples from the Premier League have often revived their careers under Vesuvius—from Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa to Scott McTominay, who just arrived from United.

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Still, mindful of recent experiences, Napoli have also sought information on several other center-forwards, although the Dane remains their top choice—partly because, at 23, he could be seen as an investment for the future and a natural successor to Lukaku. In any case, Napoli find themselves in a situation very similar to last year, when they began the season with a collapse at the Bentegodi against Verona. Without Lukaku and Bongiorno, and with a few other players carrying fitness problems, the away match in Reggio Emilia against Sassuolo could be quite tricky. The parallel with last season also lies in the fact that their starting center-forward might arrive only after the first round has already been played—just like Lukaku did last year. As for Hojlund, he is still determined to stay in Manchester, despite being told he is not the first choice, but maybe he changes his mind. AC Milan is now out of the picture as they agreed the transfer of Victor Boniface from Bayer Leverkusen for 30 million euros.