Erling Haaland and his agent Mino Raiola turned down a BIGGER contract from Man United before signing for Borussia Dortmund, reveals club chief Hans-Joachim Watzke… as he claims they realised the star was ‘better off with us’
- Erling Haaland joined Borussia Dortmund from RB Salzburg in January 2020
- Manchester United were also strongly linked with signing the striker at the time
- Dortmund’s CEO has admitted that their offer for Haaland ‘was not the best’
- He claims the striker knew he was ‘better off’ at Dortmund than at Old Trafford
Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has claimed Erling Haaland and his agent Mino Raiola turned down a ‘better offer’ from Manchester United to join the Bundesliga side.
Haaland joined the German giants from Austrian outfit RB Salzburg for £17m in January 2020, with the Red Devils failing in their attempt to sign him.
Since then the 21-year-old has gone on to become one of the best strikers in the world, scoring 70 goals in just 69 appearances for Dortmund.
Erling Haaland has turned into one of the world’s best strikers at Borussia Dortmund
Watzke, though, has admitted that his side’s offer for the Norwegian star was ‘not the best’ in comparison to their European rivals.
He told German publication Sport1: ‘The offer from Manchester United was better.
‘However Mino Raiola realised that Erling is better off with us.’
Manchester United were also in the hunt to sign the Norwegian striker back in 2020
Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke (left) revealed Haaland and agent Mino Raiola ‘realised’ they were better off at Dortmund
Dortmund have a reputation for helping highly-rated youngsters reach their potential by giving them plenty of first-team opportunities.
Jadon Sancho enjoyed a highly successful stint at the German side before completing his £73m move to Manchester United in the summer.
Jude Bellingham has also impressed since his arrival from Birmingham, with the 18-year-old midfielder already making 61 appearances for the club and breaking into the senior England squad.
Dortmund have given chances to several young players including Haaland and Jadon Sancho
Watzke said: ‘People notice that gifted people make a breakthrough with us the quickest.
‘That is a resounding argument for the players, the parents of the players and the advisors.”
‘The fact that we discovered the players on our own is long gone. But we get it. We have no inhibitions about letting 17-year-olds play.’
Though Manchester United failed to land the striker, they are one of many clubs who could look to pursue him next summer when his £64m release clause kicks in.
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