Manchester United could trade Rasmus Hojlund in genius swap deal - but there is a catch

Reports in Italy have claimed Manchester United's director of negotiations recently travelled to Italy to meet with Napoli about Victor Osimhen, who is available for transfer this summer.

The Italian press says Matt Hargreaves met with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis and discussed a potential swap deal involving Osimhen and Rasmus Hojlund during the exchange.

Take it with a pinch of salt, but a swap deal to sign Osimhen would make sense, especially now Liam Delap has chosen to sign for Chelsea. United wanted to sign Delap from Ipswich Town, although it was inevitable that failing to qualify for European football next season would influence his thinking.

Many will argue Delap shouldn't have been the preferred striker target in the first place because United need a proven goalscorer, and Delap has just one season in the Premier League.

Osimhen does not have experience in England, but his scoring record has been impressive throughout his career and he is the closest thing to a guarantee of goals in the transfer market.

The Nigerian scored 76 goals in 133 games for Napoli and played a key role in their 2022/23 Serie A title triumph with 26 goals. Although his form dropped off as Napoli finished 10th and had three different managers, he regained momentum during his time on loan in Turkey this term.

Osimhen was sent on loan to Galatasaray because Chelsea were in talks to sign him last August, only to fail to agree personal terms and the move dramatically fell through at the 11th hour.

The transfer window slammed shut and Osimhen was left stranded at Napoli, yet he needed a move away because Antonio Conte had decided he was not in his plans in Naples.

Napoli failed to offload Osimhen permanently last summer, but history