Borussia Dortmund’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has claimed that would have moved to had the German club not inserted a release clause in his contract.
Haaland looks set to join in the summer after it was reported that the striker had agreed terms with the Citizens, ending years of speculation surrounding his future.
Having scored 82 goals in 86 games for Dortmund, the 21-year-old was arguably the most sought-after player in the world, with the likes of , Barcelona, Chelsea, City and United heavily linked with signing the Norwegian.
However, Watze believes United would have signed Haaland two years ago had it not been for the promise of a release clause.
The striker was starring at Red Bull Salzburg in 2019 when he first began attracting the interest of the Red Devils, and he was heavily tipped to move to Old Trafford before he made the somewhat surprising decision to join Dortmund for just £18million.
‘We gave Erling Haaland a release clause… otherwise he would have gone to Manchester United,’ Watze told 19:09 Talk.
The details of the release clause have mostly been kept under wraps, but it is believed that Dortmund agreed to let Haaland go after he had played three seasons at the club, for a minimum fee of £63million.
It is also said that the release clause must be activated before 30th April 2022, meaning an announcement regarding Haaland’s move to City is likely to be made soon.
While City look to be gaining an immensely talented player, Dortmund are losing one of their greatest ever goal-scorers, who despite all his efforts was unable to help the side win the Bundesliga title, although they did lift the German Cup last season.
Nevertheless, Watzke also stated that he was confident his club would successfully replace Haaland soon.
‘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,’ he added.
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