United could trade rasmus hojlund in genius swap deal - but there is a catch

Reports in Italy have claimed Manchester United's director of negotiations recently travelled to Italy to meet with Napoli about Victor Osimhen, who is available for transfer this

summer. The Italian press says Matt Hargreaves met with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis and discussed a potential swap deal involving Osimhen and Rasmus Hojlund during the exchange. Take

it with a pinch of salt, but a swap deal to sign Osimhen would make sense, especially now Liam Delap has chosen to sign for Chelsea. United wanted to sign Delap from Ipswich Town, although

it was inevitable that failing to qualify for European football next season would influence his thinking. Many will argue Delap shouldn't have been the preferred striker target in the

first place because United need a proven goalscorer, and Delap has just one season in the Premier League. Osimhen does not have experience in England, but his scoring record has been

impressive throughout his career and he is the closest thing to a guarantee of goals in the transfer market. The Nigerian scored 76 goals in 133 games for Napoli and played a key role in

their 2022/23 Serie A title triumph with 26 goals. Although his form dropped off as Napoli finished 10th and had three different managers, he regained momentum during his time on loan in

Turkey this term. Osimhen was sent on loan to Galatasaray because Chelsea were in talks to sign him last August, only to fail to agree personal terms and the move dramatically fell through

at the 11th hour. The transfer window slammed shut and Osimhen was left stranded at Napoli, yet he needed a move away because Antonio Conte had decided he was not in his plans in Naples.

Napoli failed to offload Osimhen permanently last summer, but history won't repeat itself. Osimhen will be sold and a swap deal might tick a lot of boxes for all the parties involved.

Hojlund was signed from Atalanta and would return to a league he already knows. Napoli would receive a transfer fee along with Hojlund. In return, United would finally add a proven striker

to their squad. It would be an ideal outcome, although it's probably wishful thinking and United might not be happy to stump up a fee, and include Hojlund in a deal, to bring Osimhen to

Manchester. Napoli were entertaining bids in the region of £70million for Osimhen before talks collapsed with Chelsea. Around £30m and Hojlund would reportedly be entertained for a

sensational swap deal. There is also the issue of Osimhen's wage demands. They are rarely a problem in football, but the striker's demands were too much for Chelsea last summer and

could be a stumbling block again. Osimhen is said to be demanding huge wages and Ineos have lowered the wage bill since gaining control of football operations, so he would have to

compromise to sign for United. Ruben Amorim needs a striker who can consistently find the back of the net and players like Osimhen are not easily attainable very often, which means United

must do everything they can to sign him. All options should be on the table, including creative transfers like potential swap deals.