Manchester United and Manchester City may reportedly be facing a potentially tricky hurdle in the bid to seal the transfer of Borussia Dortmund goal machine Erling Haaland.
The Norway international is one of the most exciting talents in world football at the moment after scoring 76 goals in 74 games since joining Dortmund, with plenty of transfer rumours circulating linking him with the Premier League’s biggest clubs for a while now.
The latest from German outlet Bild, as translated by the Daily Mail, is that Dortmund could try an ambitious effort to offer Haaland a bumper new contract in an attempt to persuade him to stay.
The report mentions that Man Utd and Man City are among Haaland’s main suitors, but could there be reason for these clubs to worry about their chances of signing the 21-year-old?
In truth, these teams probably don’t have much of a reason to think their chances have been harmed in a big way, as it’s very hard to imagine a player of Haaland’s calibre will stay at Dortmund for much longer.
Although the Bundesliga giants are a fine club with plenty of history and tradition, they are unlikely to be able to deliver Haaland the major trophies he’ll no doubt feel he’s capable of winning, so even a huge new deal might not be enough to convince him not to look for a move elsewhere.
Haaland looks a particularly perfect fit for City right now, as he’d have a key role giving them a long-term replacement for the legendary Sergio Aguero, with the chances created by Pep Guardiola’s stylish attacking side likely to give him the chance to score even more goals than he is at the moment, whilst challenging for big honours like the Premier League and Champions League every season.
United are not in the best shape right now, so might struggle to win over Haaland, though even they would surely be a more tempting option than staying at Dortmund.
The Red Devils remain one of the biggest clubs in world football, and the Mail note that the presence of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager could be a useful connection in terms of trying to lure Haaland to Old Trafford.