Bayern Munich tried their best to sign Erling Haaland
One of the biggest transfers of the upcoming summer transfer window was sealed even before the start of the market. Earlier this week, Manchester City managed to beat top European clubs, including Bayern Munich. to complete the signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.
At the start of the season, Bayern’s Sporting Director Hasan Salihamidzic publicly confirmed Die Roten’s interest in Haaland. However, the likes of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeness kept on insisting that a deal to bring Haaland was not feasible for Rekordmeister.
Bayern reportedly held talks with Haaland when he was in Munich in March for consultation purposes regarding his injury. According to the latest update from Bild (via iMiaSanMia), Bayern had made extensive efforts to convince Haaland to leave Dortmund and move to Bavaria.
The report from Bild also insists that Die Roten was ready to meet the wage demands of the Norwegian striker. Haaland will reportedly earn €30 million/year at Man City. If the Bavarian club had agreed to match this wage packet, then Haaland would have been the top earner in the current squad.
Despite Die Roten’s best efforts, Haaland eventually told Salihamidzic last weekend that he would be moving to Manchester City. The defending English champions eventually activated the release clause, and the transfer was confirmed on Wednesday
Haaland’s arrival would have helped Die Roten in parting ways with Lewandowski in the summer. The Polish striker has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona. Moreover, Rekordmeister is yet to offer a new contract to the Polish striker.
With Haaland off the market, there is no outstanding candidate to replace Lewandowski at Bayern. The Bavarian club will have to keep the Polish striker since no striker in the market can emulate his goalscoring output from the last three seasons. Die Roten may have to lose him on a free transfer next season, but it will be totally worth it if he manages to score more than 40 goals next season.
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Despite missing out on Haaland, Bayern may end up signing a forward this summer. Along with Lewandowski, there are doubts over the long-term future of Serge Gnabry. The Bavarian club has improved their contract offer, but Gnabry is yet to accept. If the German winger keeps on deliberating, then Rekordmeister may listen to offers for him. The Bavarian club has reportedly made a contingency plan to replace Gnabry with the likes of Christopher Nkunku and Antony on the list.