Why Man Utd were the reason for Haaland's €60m release clause

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 10 May 2022 18:44 BST
• 3 min read

It has been revealed that Manchester United are the reason why Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland had a release clause in his contract at the Bundesliga club.

The Norwegian international's deal at the Signal Iduna Park doesn't wasn't due expire until 2024, but there was a €60 million release clause that could be activated this summer, which is exactly what Manchester City have done.

Pep Guardiola's side have officially announced that Haaland will join the club on 1 July and will become a key part of their first-team squad moving forward.

However, their ability to sign Haaland for a relatively cheap fee for someone of his quality and age profile is due to their city rivals.

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Haaland to Man Utd blocked by Dortmund?

in April, Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke revealed the real reason the club inserted a release clause into Haaland's contract when he arrived from RB Salzburg for just €21m.

Watzke told 19:09 Talk: "We gave Erling Haaland a release clause... otherwise he would have gone to Manchester United."

At the time Haaland signed for Dortmund, Man Utd were managed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a countryman of Haaland's. Not only that, but Solskjaer gave the forward his professional debut during their time at Molde.

So, many at the time expected Haaland to either join the Red Devils straight from Salzburg, or shortly after a stint at Dortmund. However, Watzke and those on the board at the Signal Iduna Park were evidently aware of the situation and so installed a release clause of €60m that could be activated in the summer of 2022, two-and-a-half years after signing the Norwegian.

Not only that, but adding such a release clause wouldn't have occurred at Man Utd due to the fact they wouldn't have been willing to let the forward leave for such a modest price. But, Haaland didn't want to be tied into a long deal with no escape and therefore Dortmund's only choice was to insert a release clause in their offer.