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RECORD TRANSFER: Man City completed deal for Europe's goal machine as United didn't want to pay up



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Man City completed deal for Europe's goal machine as United didn't want to pay up

So it looks like the battle to sign Erling Haaland will be contested by a number of clubs in the summer, with Premier League rivals among them.

Manchester City and Man United are two sides said to be interested in the top scoring Borussia Dortmund striker, who is likely to move to a bigger club at the end of the season.

And they will do well to pay what they need to in order to bring one of Europe’s best goal scorers to their club.

Pep Guardiola saw Sergio Aguero leave and then fail to sign Harry Kane and will be hopeful of landing Haaland owing to his connnection to the club through his father and former player, Alf Inge. But United have Ralf Rangnick as their manager, a man who helped develop him at RB Salzburg.

Both will know that however much he costs, it might be an idea to suck it up and pay.

City could actually learn from the events which saw Aguero join them in the first place in 2011.

Aguero’s Premier League-winning goal will go down as one of the top-flight’s greatest ever moments

The Argentine, who ended his final season at Atletico Madrid as their top scorer with 27 goals, inspired a glorious decade of success at the Etihad after agreeing a £38m move from Spain.

But history could be very different if their Manchester neighbours, United, decided to cough up the money for Aguero.

Sir Alex Ferguson infamously dealt with the Glazers’ tight purse strings during his final years at United.

The legendary Red Devils boss recently revealed in an autobiography that Aguero was identified as a target, with Dimitar Berbatov on the way out and Wayne Rooney in desperate need of support, a problem which would become clear after Fergie left.

However, £38m was considered too much for a man who would go on to become one of the Premier League’s greatest ever foreign imports.

“His agent was demanding a price we were not prepared to pay,” Ferguson explained. United fans will hope the reported £64m fee it will cost to land Haaland isn’t out of reach the Premier League side.

Having missed out on Kane in the summer, City might be tempted to push the boat out again.

Yes, they’re doing well without a recognised striker but if City have learned anything over the past decade, it’s that you can’t put a price on a prolific top-flight striker.

Haaland is just about the closest thing to guaranteed goals City and United could get, with 13 Bundesliga goals in 12 games this season.

Barcelona and Real Madrid might have something to say though.
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History
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