Napoli zeroed in on Rasmus Hojlund shortly after Romelu Lukaku went down with a serious thigh injury, but the negotiations with Manchester United and his camp were lengthy because of the formula of the transfer and due to some caveats of his contract, Fabrizio Romano reports (via SOSFanta).

In the end, the Dane returned to Italy on a €6M initial loan with a €44M conditional obligation to buy. He’ll be signed outright automatically if the Partenopei qualify for the Champions League.

Hojlund and his entourage asked and obtained a release clause, but it’s hefty. It amounts to €85M, and, unlike most instances, it’s payable through three yearly €28.3M installments. It won’t come into effect until 2027, though.

It’s not a private agreement between the parties, as it instead occurred with Gonzalo Higuain and Victor Osimhen. It has been inserted directly into the contract of the striker. According to Il Mattino (via MSN), he will pocket €5M annually until 2030.

Our Take on Hojlund

They had to pay a small premium for the formula. The redemption is fairly certain but not a stone-cold lock. Still, they had to make Antonio Conte happy after missing out on Dan Ndoye. Other worthy options would have probably been more expensive.

It’s unfortunate that they needed to agree to a release clause. Evidently, the word has gotten around among agents and intermediaries that it’s tough to leave Napoli after Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s cases and that asking isn’t enough. Still, if he rehabs his valuation enough for other sides to consider that sum accessible, it means that his spell has been a smashing success.