Why Rangnick will be so desperate to sign Haaland
Martin Macdonald
- 2 Dec 2021 03:29 CST
- 3 min read
Manchester United are hoping that new manager Ralf Rangnick can play a major part in any negotiations to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian is one of the hottest properties in the transfer market after bursting onto the scene with RB Salzburg and then Dortmund, emerging as one of the most devastating forward in European football.
Rangnick, who was recently announced as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's replacement at Man Utd, worked with Haaland previously at Salzburg and is believed to hold a positive relationship with the player and his representatives.
The Red Devils want to use this relationship to give them the upper hand over Haaland's other potential suitors.
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Over the past year, the player has been linked to basically very major European club, including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man Utd.
Despite the obvious on-the-field benefits that Rangnick would receive by having Haaland in his team at Old Trafford, there is another major incentive for the Man Utd boss for the deal to happen.
According to German publication Bild, Rangnick is in line for a €10m (£8.5m) bonus should he successfully convince Haaland to join Man Utd.
At the moment, the 63-year-old will be interim manager until the end of the season, after which he will undertake a sporting director role at the club, meaning he will be involved in player acquisitions.
Rangnick's relationship with Haaland
Long before Erling Haaland was a world star wanted by every top team in Europe, he was a young striker plying his trade at Molde in the Norwegian top tier.
And before anyone knew who he was, Rangnick’s Salzburg swooped in and signed him on a five-year contract.
As most football fans will know, Haaland went from strength to strength in Austria with notably performances in the Champions League for Red Bull Salzburg, before making the move to Borussia Dortmund in 2019.
By that point Rangnick had left the Red Bull operation and his absence was later cited by RB Leipzig as a notable factor in their inability to convince the striker to make the move from Salzburg to their sister club.
