AC Milan sporting director Igli Tare has confirmed the Italian club are interested in Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund.
The Denmark forward was left out of the matchday squad for United’s 1-0 home defeat by Arsenal on Sunday.
It is understood coach Ruben Amorim took the decision amid intense speculation over the 22-year-old’s future.
While Hojlund has previously expressed a strong desire to remain at United, the arrival of Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig for £73.7m means his opportunities are likely to be severely restricted.
“Hojlund is a good option for us,” Tare told Sport Mediaset before Sunday’s 2-0 win over Bari in the Coppa Italia.
“We are evaluating him these days, but the transfer market is unpredictable.
“We know that we have to intervene in that position and we also know that they must be players who can give something more to this group.”
He also confirmed interest in Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.
Hojlund was left on the bench for the final pre-season friendly against Fiorentina on 9 August, even though Sesko’s only involvement was to be paraded before kick-off as Mason Mount occupied a false nine slot.
Mount started in that role on Sunday, with Sesko and fellow striker Joshua Zirkzee on the bench.
Sesko came on to make his debut with 25 minutes remaining.
“It is a fight for places,” Amorim said after the defeat.
“We’ll see what is going to happen in the market. There are different characteristics. Rasmus has the same characteristics of Benjamin Sesko, so we need to choose.”
Hojlund, who joined for £72m two years ago, was United’s main striker last season and scored 10 goals in 52 games.
His debut campaign brought 16 goals after his move from Italian side Atalanta.
The move to drop Hojlund has been backed by United’s leadership.
Amorim has spent £200m on a completely revamped forward line, with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha set to fill the two number 10 slots Amorim prefers.
In addition to Mount, England international Kobbie Mainoo could also play as a false nine – while Bruno Fernandes did the job successfully in the 2024 FA Cup final.
On United’s pre-season tour of the United States, Cunha filled the number nine role – although he also tended to drop deeper.
Seventeen-year-old Chido Obi featured for the first team at the end of last season, although at his stage of his development it is thought unlikely he would be regarded as a regular stater, with his involvement is more likely as a substitute.
