Manchester United
Hojlund closing in on Napoli move as loan with €45m option emerges
Hojlund to Napoli on loan with €45m option, wage rise to €4.5m, final stages and United to Napoli bet

Rasmus Højlund appears to be approaching the end of his time at Manchester United, with Napoli understood to be close to agreeing terms that suit all parties. A return to Serie A for the former Atalanta forward is widely expected for the 22-year-old, and Napoli have emerged as strong contenders after AC Milan had been billed as favourites. Napoli are now thought to be “confident” of winning the race for signature, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Talks intensified following Romelu Lukaku’s serious muscular injury, which left the defending Serie A champions with Lorenzo Lucca as the only senior striker. There is plenty of the 6’7″ giant to go around, but Antonio Conte will likely need more than one centre forward available during the first half of the season.
According to reports in Gazzetta dello Sport, negotiations are in their “final stages” and Højlund stands to see a notable increase to his wages. His current annual salary of €2.8 million is said to be under consideration to rise to as much as €4.5 million. Napoli are proposing an initial loan deal with the option to buy set at €45 million, a figure that is higher than the asking price United had initially set for their waning striker.
If the option is exercised and a permanent transfer goes through, Højlund would be expected to sign a contract running through to June 2030. For Manchester United the move would mark the departure of a young forward whose path has already included a spell at Atalanta, while Napoli would gain a tall, aerially strong option to bolster their forward ranks after Lukaku’s injury.
Manchester United
Onana Moves to Trabzonspor on Season-Long Loan as United Issue Parting Message
André Onana joins Trabzonspor on a season-long loan from Manchester United ahead of Sept 12 deadline

André Onana has joined Trabzonspor on a season-long loan for the 2025–26 campaign, temporarily leaving Manchester United for a fresh start in Türkiye. According to The Athletic, the deal does not include a fee or option to buy.
The transfer was completed ahead of the Turkish transfer window closing on Friday, Sept. 12. Manchester United released a brief farewell: “We would like to wish Andre good luck.”
Onana’s time at Old Trafford had been difficult in 2024–25, a season affected by errors between the posts. Former Red Devil Nemanja Matić even labelled the 29-year-old “one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United’s history” back in April. Ruben Amorim overlooked Onana in Manchester United’s opening three matches in the Premier League this season, instead opting to start Altay Bayındır. The Cameroon international only got the nod in the Red Devils’ shocking defeat to Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup.
Across his spell with Manchester United the goalkeeper made 102 appearances. He arrived from Inter in July 2023 for an initial €51 million (£43.9 million, $57.4 million) and played a part in United’s 2–1 victory over Manchester City in the 2024 FA Cup final.
Although his contract with Manchester United runs until 2028, Onana will spend at least this season hunting for silverware in the Süper Lig. Trabzonspor framed the move positively on social media: “A new adventure, a new challenge,” Trabzonspor wrote on X . “Welcome to the world’s greatest city team, André Onana!”
The loan gives Onana an opportunity to reset his career with regular minutes in Turkey while Manchester United move forward without the Cameroon international for the 2025–26 season.
International
Ferdinand Urges Patience as Šeško Adapts After £74m Move
Ferdinand calls for patience as Šeško adjusts after £74m move; international blanks dent confidence.

Manchester United’s summer signing Benjamin Šeško has been the subject of early scrutiny after his £74 million ($100.2 million) move from RB Leipzig. The 22-year-old has arrived in England at a time when several other high-profile forwards have hit the ground running, with Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitiké, Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres and Chelsea’s João Pedro all making goalscoring starts elsewhere in the Premier League.
That context has intensified expectation around Šeško, but former United defender Rio Ferdinand has urged restraint. “He needs to get up to speed with the Premier League and that’s going to take at least a month before he can even start thinking he’s in a good enough position to put his best foot forward,” Ferdinand told the Daily Mail. “Listen, he’s a young kid. He’s got huge potential, that’s not in doubt. But potential and proving it are two different things. It wouldn’t be right to say whether he can do it or not, time will be the biggest teller of all.”
Ferdinand’s comments underline a common view among former players and pundits that adaptation to the Premier League can take time, especially for a young striker joining a club under significant pressure to deliver immediate returns.
That pressure has been compounded by criticism from another ex-United forward. Louis Saha has predicted Šeško will struggle in his debut season with the Red Devils, pointing to Manchester United’s lack of midfield signings over the summer as a factor that could hinder his integration and goalscoring chances.
Šeško’s confidence may also have been affected by his recent international outings. During the September break the striker failed to score as Slovenia drew with Sweden and suffered defeat to Switzerland in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying. For now, both club and player will be hoping that a single goal at Old Trafford or in the league can alter the narrative and accelerate his settling-in period.
Manchester United
Mazraoui accepts responsibility after Ten Hag exit
Noussair Mazraoui says he “feels responsible” for Erik ten Hag’s sacking after poor United form. Yet

Noussair Mazraoui has publicly acknowledged a sense of responsibility for Erik ten Hag’s dismissal after a difficult spell at Manchester United. The defender said he “feels responsible” for Erik ten Hag’s dismissal last season after failing to “perform.”
Ten Hag was the manager who gave Mazraoui his senior debut in 2018. That debut was the first of 137 appearances the player made for the Amsterdam outfit before leaving in the same 2022 summer as Ten Hag. After two injury-riddled seasons at Bayern, Mazraoui was reunited with his former coach at Old Trafford.
During a candid interview with The National, Mazraoui admitted that it was “difficult” for him after Ten Hag left. “He was also a reason I came to the club,” the 27-year-old sighed. “You come to a club because for the club itself, but also for the manager.”
Mazraoui was frank about the emotional side of the situation and the link he draws between player performance and managerial security. “I worked some good years with him at Ajax, so that’s also one of the reasons I came here. And then if he’s gone after two or three months, that’s never nice, because you feel also responsible for that. Because if the players perform, the manager stays, it’s that simple.”
On the field, Mazraoui made 13 appearances for United under Ten Hag and the team recorded just four wins in that period. One of those victories came in the Carabao Cup against third-tier Barnsley. The decisive result that preceded Ten Hag’s exit arrived in a Premier League fixture against West Ham United. After a strong start the team fell behind in the 74th minute, Casemiro hauled the visitors level and Matthijs de Ligt then conceded a stoppage-time penalty. The Premier League later admitted it was a refereeing error to award the spot kick, which Jarrod Bowen converted, a goal that ultimately sealed Ten Hag’s fate.