Manchester United set maximum Erling Haaland transfer price ahead of summer window

Manchester United are willing to spend as much as £130million to sign Erling Haaland this summer, according to reports. The Norway international is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s top transfer target at Old Trafford. But landing him won’t be easy, with Barcelona and Real Madrid also eager to snap him up.

Manchester United are determined to win the race for Haaland this summer.

The 20-year-old has been in blistering form this season, scoring 31 goals in the Bundesliga and Champions League combined.

United have seen Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood misfire this term and, as a result, are determined to bring Haaland in.

Barcelona are also in the frame, however, with the Catalan giants still looking for a replacement for Luis Suarez.

And Sport claim the Catalan giants believe the Red Devils are willing to pay as much as £130m to bring Haaland to Old Trafford at the end of the season.

That would make him the most-expensive signing in the club’s entire history, gazumping the £89m they paid to re-sign Paul Pogba back in the summer transfer window of 2016.

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Barcelona, for their part, are hopeful Haaland will move to the Nou Camp to play alongside Messi.

Yet they fear both United and Manchester City are too strong financially, and need both clubs to drop out of the race to stand a chance of striking a deal.

And what ultimately happens remains to be seen.

Should United miss out on Haaland for the second time in 18 months, then the Red Devils have several alternatives under consideration.

Andre Silva is in their sights, with the AC Milan striker currently flourishing on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt over in Germany.

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Danny Ings has been linked amid his fine goalscoring form for Southampton.

And rumours tipping the club to pursue Sergio Aguero are refusing to die down, though Chelsea currently seem frontrunners in that race.

Meanwhile, speaking on Friday, Solskjaer refused to open up on Haaland – insisting the 20-year-old would make up his own mind regarding his next club.

“I’m focusing on the next two months and whatever happens in the world of football, there’s only so many places anyone can go to,” said Solskjaer

“My focus is on the ones who are here and, even though I worked with Erling, it’s not right for me as Manchester United manager to talk about Erling – he will make his own mind up.

“I think the way the world works at the moment, you’d like to do all your business on the quiet and all your talks on the quiet, but there are platforms everywhere.

“The news and the media make that more difficult. Hopefully we can suddenly sit here with players no one has written about.

“We conduct our recruitment business, scouting, the players that we are interested in, we do it the right way, I hope and feel.”

Former United star Rio Ferdinand thinks Haaland should be his old side’s No 1 transfer target and would be the ticket back to the top for Solskjaer’s side.

“You know what, they’ve just got to go and give everything to get Haaland, I don’t care,” said the six-time Premier League winner.

“I don’t like to talk about players coming from other teams but this guy man, we can’t afford to let this guy go anywhere else.

“His only destination is England, that’s the only place he’s going. If he goes anywhere else I’d be so surprised.

“Born here, born and bred. He obviously loves English football, his dad played here. I’m sure it’s one of his dreams to come and play in England.

“Why not in the red shirt at Old Trafford? Be the guy that brings trophies back to Man United and brings the successful period back. Be that guy.”

source: express.co.uk