Who is Rasmus Højlund? The Atalanta striker that is scoring for fun in Europe

First of all, it’s “hoy-lund”, not “hor-land”. Højlund, not Haaland.

Rasmus Højlund (February 4, 2003) will be, without a doubt, one of the names of the next transfer window. The ‘Danish Haaland’ is taking Europe by storm with goals and strong performances, and is taking small steps forward every week and not looking back. Such a spring-loaded rise to fame has, naturally, put every single one of Europe’s top clubs on alert: nobody wants to let a jewel that is forming in the ranks of Atalanta escape their line of sight.

Most recently, Højlund signed off a simply stunning international week. He bagged a hat-trick against Finland and got a double against Kazakhstan, meaning his numbers for Denmark stand out on the page: five goals in four games. And these are numbers that he takes with him to Atalanta: since January he has scored seven goals for the Italian side. This past weekend, he was on the bench in place of Murial and Zapata up front, but Gasperini had to resort to the Dane’s services to solve the problem against bottom team Cremonese. It took him half an hour to work up an individual moment of brilliance and put a chance on a plate for Boga to unblock the game.

The 'Danish Haaland'

His height, his physical appearance, his talent with his left foot and his goalscoring ability are all qualities reminiscent of a certain Erling Haaland, although Højlund is far from the level of the Manchester City striker. Atalanta found Højlund at Sturm Graz and paid €17M for him to sign a contract until 2027.

Now, according to Transfermarkt, he is priced at more than double what Atlanta paid in 2022. The striker is ambitious and wants to continue climbing with his team: “I am very happy, it was a fantastic week for me and we returned to victory. I’m happy because we had a great game. The Champions League? We believe in what we’re doing and we will certainly do our best to get there. I want to play in the Champions League”, he said after the last match in Serie A.

His good performances have, understandably, started to provoke more than curiosity among the bigger teams across Europe. In the unending battles that exist throughout the offices of the power-clubs in Europe to sign the faces of the future, Højlund’s name is shooting up the list.

No one wants to be left behind if Atalanta decide to sell. Manchester United and Tottemham are two of the teams that have seen themselves linked up with the Danish striker, but there are more teams lurking in the shadows: given his meteoric rise, Højlund is arousing interest in both Germany and Spain. Højlund is certainly a name that will be mentioned in the coming months.