Transfer News: Manchester United pull out of race to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland after Real Madrid update
According to ESPN, Manchester United have decided to pull out of the race to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland following an update that concerns Real Madrid. He is most likely to leave his current club at the end of the season, with multiple European heavyweights vying to get his signature.
Haaland has a €75 million release clause in his current contract with Dortmund, which will activate this summer. Naturally, that has made him an exciting prospect since it would be very difficult to get someone of his quality at such a price in the current market. Real Madrid and Manchester City are monitoring the situation in an attempt to boost their frontline.
Man United were long-term admirers of the 21-year-old since he made his breakthrough at Molde. They lost out to Borussia Dortmund in their opportunity to sign him when he was at FC Salzburg. Now, it seems like they are set to miss out on him once again with the club deciding to retreat on their interest.
There is a belief at Old Trafford that the Norway international would join Real when the current campaign ends. As a result, they have decided to focus their attention on other targets instead of wasting time on a losing battle. They think that the current situation at the club does not help their case, which prompted them to take this decision.
Hard pill to swallow
It is always a hard pill for us to swallow the fact that we are no longer the poster boys of English football as we used to be under Sir Alex Ferguson. But it is good to know that the board understands the situation and are taking logical decisions regarding the future of the club.
Los Blancos and the Cityzens are enjoying success domestically and are a genuine force to reckon with in Europe. City, in particular, have been in need of a true number 9 ever since they lost Sergio Aguero to Barcelona. However, it will be interesting to know who exactly we would eye instead of the Norwegian- if we target one at all. After all, Edinson Cavani will become a free agent next summer while Cristiano Ronaldo will be 37 in two weeks.
Anthony Elanga and Mason Greenwood are still on the pathway to becoming top footballers and while they may be great options for the long term, it remains to be seen if they are experienced enough to regularly lead out our frontline week in, week out. As such, we would be wise to target another man up front to boost our chances in an ever-growing, competitive modern footballing world.
What’s surprising is that we have declined the chance to sign Julian Alvarez from River Plate and have handed the opportunity to our city rivals in the process as well. Now, it looks like they are “close” to finalising a move before the transfer window closes this month. That does not paint us in a great light, but only time will tell if we do have a plan on bringing in a striker or not.
More Manchester United News
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The fact that we have the likes of Cavani and Ronaldo right now should not mean that the club can relax about the near future as well. Those two are not getting any younger and with Anthony Martial also seemingly on his way out– whenever that may be- it would be wise from our side if we start to keep tabs on a top-quality striker.
