Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick has reportedly spoken to Erling Haaland's father Alf-Inge as he pushes to sign the Borussia Dortmund hitman.
In-demand striker Haaland's contract at the German club expires in the summer of 2023 and Dortmund are reportedly set to hold showdown talks to clarify his future.
Yet a report in the Manchester Evening News says that Rangnick has recently talked to Haaland's father - ex-Man City player Alf-Inge Haaland - about a potential move to Old Trafford next year.
The report details Rangnick and Haaland Snr have a 'cordial relationship' from the German coach's time as Red Bull sporting director and was involved in the forward's move to RB Salzburg from Molde nearly three years ago.
Haaland has a £68m release clause which becomes active next summer, with Real Madrid favourites to land the 21-year-old.
The report adds that United believe the sacking of fellow Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Red Devils boss does not harm their pursuit of Haaland.
The striker could have moved to United two years ago but he chose Dortmund instead.
On Monday, Haaland's agent Mino Raiola stated that no pre-contract has been agreed with any club as of yet - and did not rule out his client staying at Dortmund.
'Could Haaland wait for Barcelona? He can wait for anybody,' Raiola told Dutch outlet NOS. 'We don't have a pre-agreement with any club.
'We'll look for the best option for him and I can't rule out another year at Dortmund. Theoretically, that's still possible.'
At his unveiling, Rangnick described Haaland as a 'fantastic striker' but insisted he was happy with his forward options at United.
'Erling Haaland is a fantastic striker. I know best myself, because I was together with the people at Salzburg with my friend Kristoff and the people there were a little bit involved in the move from Molde to Salzburg, and therefore I know what kind of player he is.
'I'm more than happy with the offensive strike power we have here and the offensive players we have here, and quite a few of them did not play [against Arsenal].
'Martial only came on in the last five minutes, Mason [Greenwood] didn't play at all, we have so many top players in the offensive department that we don't need to speak about any other players.'