In between the score draw at Fulham and Wednesday’s League Cup clash at Grimsby Town, there is still plenty going on at Manchester United, especially in the summer transfer market. United are moving closer to offloading their outcast striker Rasmus Hojlund, and acquiring Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens. We’ll get to Hojlund in a bit, but let’s start with Lammens for now. He’s agreed to personal terms, according to some reports. Other reports claim that the Belgian is only nearing that point.
Either way, he missed the Royal Antwerp clash on the weekend, despite wanting to play. Sky Sports has more, in the video below:
Royal Antwerp made the decision to remove goalkeeper Senne Lammens from their squad yesterday, despite his desire to play the game 🧤
Sky Sports News understands the Belgian club did not want to harm a potential deal with Manchester United by risking a potential injury 🔴 pic.twitter.com/YDEhkq5rMp
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 25, 2025
EFL Cup 2nd Round FYIs
Manchester United at Grimsby Town
Kick: Wednesday. Aug. 27, 2025, 8pm
Blundell Park, Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, UK
United Preview Material: Team News Starting Lineup Prediction
Odds: Grimsby wins 15/1 United wins 2/13 Draw 6/1
Fun Fact: United and Grimsby have not faced each other since a 1948 1-1 draw that took place in the old English Division One.
Antwerp did not want to risk getting Sammens suffering an injury before the deal gets done. When it does (and this definitely feels a lot more like “when,” than “if”) where does he fit in the pecking order?
It appears that Altay Bayindir has replaced Andre Onana as the current No. 1, so would Sammens supplant Bayindir then?
Moving on to Hojlund, the 72m GBP bust who came over from Atalanta in 2023, his time is almost up at United. It looks like he’s headed back to Italy, with Napoli closing in now. Hojlund, who was left out of the squad entirely in the first two games, became expendable once Benjamin Sesko was signed.
And while Sesko hasn’t fully acclimated yet, Hojlund still must find a new destination for this season. He had been linked to AC Milan, but it appears that a different club in Serie A will be acquiring him)
🚨🔵⚪️ Negotiations between Napoli and Man United are at final stages on loan deal with buy option clause to become mandatory.
Talks underway with Ramus Højlund and his camp over personal terms again today…
…with Napoli and Antonio Conte, pushing to get it done. pic.twitter.com/RhABFXzMaE
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 25, 2025
According to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano (no one knows more about Serie A transfers than this guy), the Hojlund to Napoli loan deal is almost done. It would be good for everyone involved.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter