It was not a given that Rasmus Hojlund had the potential to rank as one of the most expensive transfers in the history of a club with the stature of Manchester United.
"In Copenhagen," Hojlund recalled when looking back on his time at his hometown club, "they were not really sure about me being the next big thing."
Just 18 months after leaving the capital club for £1.5m, with zero goals in Denmark's top flight to his name, Hojlund is now on the cusp of joining Manchester United for a fee in the region of £72m - 48 times the sum that Copenhagen received in January 2022.
Here's how the transfer of a player that is very much billed as "the next big thing" compares to the most expensive deals Manchester United have ever made.
Rasmus Hojlund to Man Utd details
Hojlund needed little persuading to agree on personal terms with United - the club he grew up supporting in Denmark. "Now that you ask," Hojlund admitted in January, "I will not hide the fact that I am a huge Manchester United fan."
However, the striker's employers were not so easily wooed. Back at the start of July, 90min revealed United's interest in Hojlund as talks between the Red Devils and Serie A side Atalanta began.
United were initially unwilling to venture above their opening offer of £51.6m but Atalanta stood firm on their valuation of a player they only signed for £15m last summer.
Paris Saint-Germain complicated the negotiation process by wading in with a bid of their own. The French champions, who are embroiled in a stand-off with their current star forward Kylian Mbappe, fired a £42.9m verbal offer over to Atalanta. It did not take long for the Bergamo outfit to reject the inquiry.
Shortly after Erik ten Hag publicly stressed his desire to acquire a striker as soon as possible, United took a large step towards completing the deal by agreeing on a fee with Atalanta. The two parties have arrived at the compromise of a fixed £64m up-front sum with £8m available in potential add-ons.
United had previously floated the idea of including players in a partial swap deal but Atalanta's iron will appears to have won out.
Man Utd's most expensive signings ever
Hojlund stands to become United's most expensive signing in a summer of consolidation ahead of Ten Hag's second season as manager.
Strung-out negotiations with Chelsea eventually ended in the arrival of Mason Mount as United's first high-profile addition of pre-season. The England international could cost the Red Devils as much as £60m if all bonuses are hit.
United replaced the outgoing David de Gea with the most expensive goalkeeper in the club's history, signing Andre Onana from last season's Champions League finalists Inter for a fee that could rise to £47.2m.
Jadon Sancho arrived on a wave of even greater hype than Hojlund in 2021. The former Borussia Dortmund starlet, who had put up considerably more impressive figures across a longer period of time than the Dane, cost £73m. Yet, during his first two seasons at Old Trafford, Sancho directly contributed to fewer goals than Fred.
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There was hope that the much-maligned Brazilian midfielder, who cost United £47m in 2018, would produce performances worthy of his fee following the arrival of his international teammate Casemiro.
The five-time Champions League winner was 30 when United forked out an initial sum of £60m last summer. Aside from a surprisingly active disciplinary record, Casemiro proved to be good value for money after his debut campaign. Hojlund, aged just 20, has plenty of time to live up to his transfer.
Yet, Paul Pogba toiled away against his price tage for six seasons after returning to Old Trafford for a then-world-record fee of £89m in 2016. The club are yet to make a more expensive signing and will have to go some way to find an individual that divides opinion as much as the World Cup winner.
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On this edition of The Promised Land, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders and Rob Blanchette react to the news Manchester United have agreed a fee with Atalanta for Rasmus Hojlund. If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!
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This article was originally published on 90min as How Rasmus Hojlund fee compares to most expensive signings in Man Utd history.