Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland has rejected Manchester United, amid interest from Real Madrid, Manchester City.
According to a report from ESPN, Erling Haaland has no intention of joining Manchester United. The forward wants to join a club where he can further hone himself as a footballer and is not drawn to teams who are willing to offer him a lot of money. Manchester United are not viewed as a desired option as the striker fears they may not match his ambition.
Haaland’s rejection comes as a major blow for a Manchester United side desperate to find a new striker amid a layer of uncertainty over the future of most of their attacking players.
Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, for one, is unhappy with the way how the club have performed in almost all competitions this term. There are whispers he could leave Old Trafford in the summer, in favour of a potential move elsewhere, with PSG among the clubs interested in his services.
Marcus Rashford is not happy with his lack of game-time either. He may even consider an exit in the summer in an attempt to revive his career elsewhere, with the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona more than willing to hand him that opportunity.
In light of such uncertainty, the addition of a star forward like Haaland could have been a major boost to United’s hopes of building a strong team and competing for the title next season, under the tutelage of Erik ten Hag, who is tipped to replace Ralf Rangnick in the summer.
The report from ESPN suggests Manchester City are the firm favourites to sign the Norwegian in the summer. The Citizens can not only offer him a lucrative contract but they can also match his ambitions.
Real Madrid, though, aren’t far behind either as Los Blancos do have the heritage of becoming home to some of the most gifted footballers in the world. With Karim Benzema nearing the final phase of his career, they could also be in a position to offer Haaland regular game-time and build the team around him in the years to come.