Man Utd set sights on landing £130m superstar who wants £350k-a-week deal

Man Utd have named Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland as their centre-forward priority target for the upcoming summer transfer window, according to reports.

After much speculation over the past few months, it has been reported by the Manchester Evening News that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Man Utd’s newly appointed football director, John Murtough, have mutually agree that Haaland would be the ideal long-term replacement for Romelu Lukaku.

This is not the first time the Utd manager has shown interest in the 20-year-old, after having tried to sign the striker last January from Red Bull Salzburg, only to lose out to Borussia Dortmund.

However, Solskjaer’s personal history with Haaland goes back even further than that. Solskjaer was manager of Molde at the same time Haaland was beginning his career at the club as a young player looking for a breakthrough.

In an interview with Eurosport in April 2020, Haaland recalls the time Solskjaer handed the then 17-year-old his starting debut. He also recalls the wisdom imparted by Solskjaer before that game which has gone on to help him become the clinical finisher he is today,

“Before that game, Solskjaer and I did some practice on finishing. Not just crosses. I remember he taught me some easy rules. The first one, was on touch – that I don’t use too much power and trying to destroy the goal or the goalie with [the] ball.

I think that I was thinking about doing that and it was something new that he told me. I trained a bit on that, but without scoring. But at least I had it in my head after that training session.”

“That was something he taught me in the days before that game and he has taught me a lot to be calm, and also [to] be on your toes and come to those situation where the ball is coming. It is then you have the chance to score. He deserves a lot of credit for teaching me that.”

During his time with Dortmund, Haaland has scored 47 goals in 48 appearances. He was even labelled by ESPN as being ‘one of the most exciting young players on the planet’ after he managed to score 14 Champions League goals in only 11 games, beating both Lionel Messi (28) and Christiano Ronaldo (51).

It is reported that Haaland has a release clause in his contract of around £65m [€75m] which can be activated next year. However, Dortmund may be forced to sell the young star earlier than originally planned due to financial problems brought on by coronavirus.

If Utd are to sign Haaland in the summer, it has been reported by German BILD sport [via football365] that Dortmund will be wanting £130m [€150m] for their star striker. Furthermore, Haaland himself is reported to be asking for a wage of around £350,000 per week.

With the aforementioned price tag and wage demand, Dortmund are aware there are only a small number of clubs that could afford the Norwegian.

These clubs include Premier League teams Man City and Chelsea, alongside the Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. Therefore, there are doubts over whether Utd will be able to compete financially.

Whatever happens, the race for Haaland is likely to be a lively one with many rumours and much speculation leading up to the transfer window.

Now, with Utd officially throwing their hat into the ring, fans can only hope that Solskjaer’s personal relationship with Haaland is enough to entice the young superstar into putting on that Red shirt next season.