Real Madrid are reportedly optimistic about landing Borussia Dortmund star and long-term Manchester United transfer target Erling Haaland in 2022.
According to a report from Spanish publication AS, reigning La Liga champions Real Madrid are hopeful of signing Norwegian sensation Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund in 2022. The centre-forward is a long-term target for Premier League giants Manchester United.
Over the past couple of years, Haaland has enjoyed a meteoric rise to stardom, that has seen him become one of the most prolific young forwards in Europe currently. The 20-year-old burst onto the scenes at Austrian outfit RB Salzburg, before earning a transfer to Dortmund in last January, snubbing interest from Manchester United.
Since joining BVB, Haaland has been their chief source of goals, proving to be a menace in the final third in domestic and continental competitions. Following his match-winning double in the UEFA Champions League against Club Brugge and a late strike against Bayern Munich at the weekend, the 20-year-old now has 11 goals in 11 games this term.
Naturally, Haaland’s rise to the top has seen him attract a lot of admirers, none bigger than Manchester United. As iterated previously, the 20-year-old snubbed a chance to join the Red Devils in the winter window earlier this year. However, that has not deterred the club from eyeing another attempt at signing him in the next summer.
But Real Madrid stand in the way of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, with the reigning La Liga champions also eager to land the Norwegian. Los Blancos have been keeping an eye on the progress of the striker for quite a while now. Considering that they will need someone to replace Karim Benzema in a year or two, their interest in Haaland makes complete sense.
It is claimed that Borussia Dortmund have a gentleman’s agreement with Haaland and his agent Mino Raiola that the club will allow the forward to leave in 2022, should he wish to do so, provided their transfer fee demands are met.
And Real Madrid are hoping to capitalise on this and make a move for the 20-year-old a couple of years down the line. Even though Raiola shares a rather frosty relationship with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, the super-agent enjoys a much more cordial relation with second-in-command Jose Angel Sanchez.
This coupled with the professional ties between Madrid and Dortmund, after having worked on a few deals in recent years, is cited as the reason behind the Merengues’ optimism. Furthermore, the presence of Haaland’s international teammate and friend Martin Odegaard is another point in favour of the Spanish capital club.
Unless Manchester United are somehow able to lure Haaland to Old Trafford next summer, chances of which are bleak following their recent handling of Jadon Sancho’s pursuit from Dortmund, there is a strong possibility that they will be unable to sign him, with Real Madrid the favourites as things stand.
