Rasmus Hojlund permanent move to Napoli at risk of collapse

Rasmus Hojlund appears to have found his form once again at Napoli after his two years struggling at Old Trafford as the striker’s loan has hit new highs.

Since arriving at Manchester United in 2023 from Atalanta for £72 million, the Denmark international failed to live up to the price tag.

In 95 games, Hojlund scored only 26 goals and grabbed 6 assists, however is already well exceeding this goal contributions per game for at Old Trafford.

So far, Hojlund has scored seven goals and grabbed three assists in 19 games, even picking up his first trophy as Napoli won the Supercoppa Italiana this weekend.

Whilst this is a great start to his time with Napoli, a permanent move at the end of his loan spell could well be in real doubt.

La Gazzetta dello Sport, as reported by Il Bianconero, has now revealed that Napoli are facing financial concerns which could see them handed a transfer ban for 2026.

The report references the Extender Labour Costs over Revenue ratio being less than 0.8, which looks at the club’s wage bill and staffing costs against the revenue being made by the club.

Unfortunately for Napoli, when the independent commission reviewed the final assessments of accounts, they and Pisa were deemed to be under the threshold of compliance.

As such, the Serie A champions can only sign new players in January, operating on a “zero balance” window, meaning they only have funds generated from sales available to them to make signings.

For the summer, when Hojlund could make his £38 million move, the rules are stricter, with a 0.7 threshold.

For example, if Napoli’s Extended Labour Costs are £75 million and their revenue is £100 million, they’ll pass the January compliance, but not in the summer.

As such, for Rasmus Hojlund’s move to still have a chance, Napoli need to earn more from sales in the winter window than they use to sign new players.

At very least, a £38 million sale will need to be made in the summer to match Hojlund’s transfer fee, so whilst it’s not ruled out yet, there is significantly more pressure around the clubs finances.