Red Devils are ready to face competition from Real Madrid this summer for the signature of Dortmund striker Erling Haaland. Norway international rejected Man United in favour of the Bundesliga giants in winter, despite the existing relationship that he had with the Red Devils manager from his days at Molde.
Erling’s camp believed Dortmund offered a greater chance of first-team football and he’s made a scintillating start at the club, scoring 12 times in his first 11 games for the club. However, part of the reason Dortmund won the battle for Haaland was that they agreed to a £50m release clause in the forward’s deal and that could prove problematic.
Man United stay huge admirers of the 19-year-old striker, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes a striker is one of the remaining pieces in his jigsaw at Theatre of Dreams. But Red Devils failure to sign the Norwegian striker in January could come back to bite them again as La Liga giants are now in the battle.
Zinedine Zidane spent big on the likes of Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic and Ferland Mendy last summer but he stays keen on a long-term replacement for Karim Benzema. The French manager’s form dipped in the second half of the campaign and Erling’s growth has been exponential.
The Spanish club are, of course, interested in Paul Pogba this summer but the Los Blancos have doubts over whether they can finance a move. Man United value Pogba at £120m, while his wages are likely to be near £300,000-a-week. Real Madrid signed Reinier Jesus from Flamengo during the winter transfer window.
