Manchester United will miss out on Erling Braut Haaland – because Red Bull Leipzig have first refusal.
Old Trafford boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had made the 19-year-old Norway striker his top target for the January transfer window.
But his chances of landing Red Bull Salzburg’s prodigious marksman have been dashed because of a contractual tie-up between the two branded clubs – and a £25.7m release clause.
It means they will have first refusal because the buy-out in his current deal with the Austrians relates ONLY to their sister club across the border.
It means that Manchester United will miss out – unless Leipzig buy Haaland and then sell him on immediately for a handsome profit. Salzburg were holding out for a £75m payment, but that looks remote if Leipzig trigger the clause.
The transfer fee is a huge hike on the fee that the Red Devils could have paid when their attention was first drawn to him.
Haaland was just 16 years of age when he started making waves at his first club, Bryne.
He was offered around for a staggering £90,000 – but no one took the club up on their offer. Everton did take a look at Haaland, but he was rejected on the grounds that he was ‘too wooden’ by the then recruitment team.
Even after Haaland left his first club for Molde, he was available for a cut-price £3m plus appearance-related add-ons.
But no one, apart from Salzburg were prepared to take the gamble. Their punt on the youngster is now being rewarded with a potentially-huge profit.
Bestonwizzy
554
The boy is good and Leipzig has a good scoring striker already, I will plead with them to let us buy that boy because presently we are suffering from a goals hungry scoring striker.. With that boy i will not doubt how far high we can compete and how fast our chances can be converted to goals. But if it will not be possible for Manchester united to land that boy to old Trafford and Werner will not be given to us by Leipzig, I will suggest Manchester united should start scouting a good striker from lower division or other countries leagues before winter window finally opens officially.. Because winter window is less than 6 weeks.. It will make sense if we start negotiation on the player now and before then, than start negotiation in January it will delay many things... And besides I'm still sensing something from what Salzburg are trying to do because presently Leipzig has a good striker already, it should not be a sense or strategy of trying to sell this boy at a high clause fee... But I believe Ole will make us proud and find a suitable striker who will play for us with all his heart and passion... I wish we can get a very good striker at a good price who will play for us with all his heart like Daniel James....