By Daily Sports on September 2, 2021

Erling Haaland remains Manchester United’s priority transfer target next summer, despite the club's financial outlay to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus, sources have told ESPN.

Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in Haaland, who can trigger a release clause in his Borussia Dortmund contract at the end of this season that is reportedly set at €75 million.

But although the deal to sign Ronaldo was financed outside of United’s original summer transfer budget, sources have told ESPN it will not impact next year’s recruitment plans and the ongoing effort to win the race for Haaland.

United will pay an initial €15m for Ronaldo with a further €8m in additional payments over five years, but while the transfer fee is relatively small, the Old Trafford club have had to make the 36-year-old the highest-paid player in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad by some distance, even though sources have said he has taken a substantial cut on his Juventus salary, which amounted to £510,000 per week after tax.

Sources added that the opportunity to re-sign Ronaldo, who left United for Madrid in an £80m transfer in 2009, was one the club could not pass up, especially when it became clear that the Portugal captain was in talks over a move to neighbours City.

And while the deal has left United with an abundance of attacking options, the long-term objective of signing Haaland has not changed.

United came close to signing the Norway international from FC Salzburg during the 2019-20 winter transfer window, only for the player to opt for a move to Dortmund. (ESPN)

•PHOTO: Erling Haaland

Source Daily Sports

Posted September 2, 2021

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