Milan received a major assist from Manchester United in their chase of Rasmus Hojlund, but there’s still work to be done on the deal. The Rossoneri will keep at it for a few more days before pivoting, La Gazzetta dello Sport informs.

Ruben Amorim dropped the Dane for the opening game to send him a message. The center-forward, who intended to stay to fight for minutes, is more open to leaving now.

Milan have been in touch with Manchester United and the Hojlund camp, but an agreement isn’t imminent. Director Igli Tare kept things close to the vest when asked about their offensive targets on Sunday night.

The striker would prefer a permanent deal if he were to leave. Instead, the Rossoneri are proposing a loan with an option to buy. There’s also a gap pertaining to his valuation. The Red Devils demand about €45M, while the counterparty offers roughly €10M less.

Dusan Vlahovic, Gonçalo Ramos, and Nicolas Jackson are the top fullbacks. Juventus are open for business, but they won’t do particularly onerous things to force the Serb out, like selling him for very cheap, releasing him, or handing him a lofty severance package. If they don’t receive a good enough bid, he’ll stay to be a backup and leave for free next year.

Our Take on Milan and Hojlund

There was a lot of brouhaha about his initial doubts regarding the destination, but the issue is the formula. Everything would have to go right for him to be retained. Not wanting to be in the same spot next summer is understandable. They are clearly hunting for bargains, but it’d be better if they signed somebody more complementary to Rafael Leao and Santiago Gimenez.