“Bring the full package”
Victor Osimhen, Lautaro Martínez or Dusan Vlahovic – the Italian Serie A is undoubtedly home to some of the most exciting strikers in European football at the moment. But in addition to these sonorous and prominent names, there is a youngster at Atalanta whose development, in the eyes of many experts and clubs, could be even more promising than that of the personal details mentioned at the beginning: We are talking about Rasmus Højlund, who despite his only 20 years in his first season in Italy and it is not without reason that it is associated with top clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich. So who is this Dane who could be on his way to England before he’s even proven himself with Atalanta? Transfermarkt took a close look.
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After an impressive start to his professional career in Copenhagen, in which the young striker scored five goals in 32 games for the Danish record champions, Højlund decided to move to Austria at the end of January 2022 and signed on at Sturm Graz. After half a year, the left-footed player had 16 goals in 21 games. While the Bundesliga club secured the services of the talent for 1.8 million euros, the Italians digged deeper into their pockets in August of the same year. Højlund had aroused interest in many places with his performance and pushed his own price up: Atalanta transferred 17 million euros to Graz.
Højlund in 2nd place
Most valuable centre-forward up to 21 yearsThis way
Since then, the four-time Denmark international has found his feet in one of Europe’s top leagues, providing eight goals and three assists in 28 games for his new club Standing. “He brings the whole package with him,” says Jatin Dietl, Area Manager Italy at Transfermarkt. “He can play in any attacking position, he has good physique and speed, but also great technique and impressive scoring instincts. Maybe he’s lacking a bit of consistency and certainly his development is far from over, but he’s only 20 years old and his potential seems enormous.”
Indeed, there is little doubt anywhere that the Copenhagen native could become Serie A’s next star striker at Atalanta. Under coach Gian Piero Gasperini, the club has become known for its entertaining football and has also developed into one of the best in the business through sustained work off the pitch – especially when it comes to buying, shaping young players with great potential and to resell it lucratively.
With Kolo Muani & Osimhen: Center forward with the most scorer points in 2022/23
Højlund is the sixth most expensive signing in Atalanta’s club history. There is much to suggest that if he leaves before the end of his contract, which runs until 2027, it will be a record sale. That title is currently held by Cristian Romero, whose services Tottenham Hotspur were worth €50m this season. Chelsea and Man United are said to have already expressed an interest in signing Højlund, according to “Sport Bild” the attacker is also on the list for FC Bayern.
According to Dietl, a scenario where Højlund could stay at Atalanta and opt for Serie A is also not impossible. “That depends heavily on the developments on the summer market,” says the TM expert. And further: “Of course Atalanta will keep him if there is no extraordinary offer. But if Napoli sells Victor Osimhen, they will have a lot of money in the end and the Dane could be the perfect successor.” According to Dietl, Bergamo’s pain threshold for selling his offensive talent is only conceivable with an offer “that is far above his current market value. I think around 50 to 60 million euros, if not more.”
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