Manchester United’s transfer business is still taking shape and will continue to do so over the final few weeks of the season.
One decision could be taken out of the club’s hands, and that is regarding Erling Haaland.
ESPN report Dortmund want a staggering 180 million Euros as a fee to sell Haaland this summer, equating to £154m.
This is a huge fee, and shows Dortmund have no intention of letting him go.
The situation could get cloudy if Dortmund fail to qualify for the Champions League. Haaland would likely want an exit, and his release clause coming into effect at £66million in 2022, means there may be a middle ground.
Their stance will probably be enough to deter United in any case, having failed to land Jadon Sancho last summer. At more than £100 million, Haaland will simply be too expensive for United.
Makes the choice easier
United need a striker and a winger, and in some ways, this should clarify the club’s priorities.
Signing Haaland would be great, but it’s just too unrealistic. United must look elsewhere for a striker, and focus on Sancho.
United must set sights on Sancho, and go all in, early on, to try and land the winger.
If United can land Sancho on an early deal, it should only strengthen Dortmund’s resolve to keep Haaland, which appears to be their top priority.
United won’t get caught in two minds of which one to try and sign, and hopefully avoid the scenario where we end up with neither.
Fee should put everybody off
It won’t just be United shying away from Haaland. No club are likely to want to pay Dortmund’s £154 million fee when he is available for less than half that figure next summer.
Dortmund can be difficult negotiators, as United discovered last summer, and one positive from this huge asking price is that Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool are all likely to take the same action and back away.
With Haaland likely to stay put, this increases the likelihood Sancho is sold.
Dortmund still need to raise funds for financial reasons, Sport1 report. This will especially be the case if they fail to finish in the top four, and United do qualify for the Champions League.
There is a best case scenario that United could land Sancho this summer, and return to pay Haaland’s release clause in 2022.
Having Sancho at Old Trafford could even play a part in convincing him.
First, United need to get the Sancho deal done. The winger has 12 goals and 12 assists this season for Dortmund even after a slow start. The 21-year-old would be a very sensible investment.
A worst case scenario would have been that Haaland signs for a rival, and Dortmund keep Sancho.
Their huge asking price for Haaland makes this unlikely, and should make Sancho their most likely asset to depart, playing right into United’s hands.
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