Norwegian international Erling Haaland has revealed that he decided to join Borrusia Dortmund ahead of Manchester United and other clubs because the German club gave him the feeling he wanted.
The young striker joined Dortmund on a four-and-a-half year deal from RB Salzburg before the transfer window opened, in a deal worth around €20m. Dortmund met the £18 million buyout clause in his contract and also agreed to give his agent Mino Raiola and father, Alf Inge Haaland a significant share of the 19-year-old player’s future sales value.
The highly-rated 19-year-old, who scored 28 goals in 22 games for Salzburg this season, signed a contract until 30 June 2024. The Norwegian has been linked with a host of top clubs such as Manchester United, Juventus and Red Bull Leipzig.
Man United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer worked with Haaland at Molde and met with the Norwegian earlier in the month in a bid to complete a January transfer to United after learning Haaland had met with representatives from Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig on Wednesday. He then returned to Manchester to prepare his side for Sunday’s Premier League clash against Everton at Old Trafford.
Speaking ahead of Dortmund’s warm-weather training camp in Marbella, The Mirror reports that Haaland praised his new side’s ‘direct’ approach to luring him to Germany, and admitted that he and Dortmund were a good match.
“Dortmund just went direct and said we need you up the front. They told me they like my playing style and said, ‘We want to have you here’. I liked the way they spoke to me then and that was what triggered the move.
“I spent a few days looking around the club and speaking to senior people and I just felt that me and Dortmund were a good match.”
Haaland also addressed the possibility of joining any other of Europe’s elite sides, but he confessed that the likes of Man Utd didn’t give him the right ‘feeling’, and he instead settled on a move to Dortmund.
“I spoke to other clubs, big clubs, but no one gave me the feeling I had at Dortmund.
“During my visit, I had several intense conversations with the club management team, in particular, Dortmund’s chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke, sporting director Michael Zorc and coach Lucien Favre.
“They were all really keen for me to join and from the very start, I knew I wanted to move here. I can’t wait to get started and play in front of over 80,000 fans in the incredible Dortmund atmosphere. I’m so excited.”
