Erling Haaland almost joined Man United instead of Dortmund, claims CEO

Haaland could have been playing for the red side of Manchester

Erling Haaland would have moved to Manchester United had Borussia Dortmund not agreed to put in a release clause in his contract, claims the club's chief executive. Hans-Joachim Watzke revealed that the Bundesliga side were in direct competition with United to secure the Norwegian's signature, eventually winning the race in January 2020 to sign him from Red Bull Salzburg. Haaland's decision has proved to be a positive one as well. The 21-year-old has 58 league goals in 64 appearances for Dortmund and his form has seen him linked with some of the biggest clubs in the world.

Haaland is close to becoming a Manchester City player

Reports have suggested that he is close to becoming a Manchester City player and his arrival at the Etihad Stadium will see him become the highest-paid player in football, with rumours suggesting he could earn up to £500,000 a week. However during an interview with 19:09 Talk, Watzke believes that Dortmund may have never signed Haaland had they not agreed to certain elements of his contract. "We gave Erling Haaland a release clause... otherwise he would have gone to Manchester United," he revealed. Watzke also reassured that they would be able to replace Haaland and had targets in mind to ensure they can fill the inevitably large void that the Norwegian will leave. He said: "He has a decision to make, it will come eventually. But I’m sure we’ll find the new Haaland. We need the new Haaland."

Who are Dortmund looking at to replace Haaland?

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has suggested that Dortmund may look to Salzburg again for their replacement. German forward Karim Adeyemi is being touted as the replacement and talks are underway to bring him to the Signal Iduna Park. Watzke provided an update on the situation - revealing that they don't want to insert a release clause into the deal. He said: "We'll try to get it done without a release clause. But we're not under any pressure. "I think the player has more or less the feeling that he wants to join BVB. We have to manage that in some way." https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1520114102210867201 Related links:

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• Man City agree £500,000-a-week deal with Erling Haaland representatives