NAPOLI are tipping Manchester United to land RB Salzburg strike sensation Erling Haaland after the Italians reportedly decided he would be too expensive.
Twice-capped Norway star Haaland, 19, has bagged a staggering 21 goals in 14 games this term, having initially played under United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Molde.
Now Italy’s Corriere dello Sport suggest Carlo Ancelotti‘s Serie A giants believe they cannot compete with United‘s riches.
Asked where Haaland might end up, scout Loris Boni is quoted as saying: “Definitely in a great club.
Salzburg, an excellent team, can only be a springboard for someone like him.
If, then, his compatriot Solskjaer remains as coach at Manchester United, I think he can go there.
Solskjaer was also the one who made him debut at Molde, as he coached the club at the time.
OPTIONS NEEDED
Solskjaer is looking for more frontline alternatives, whilst still focusing on developing young players, after failing to replace Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez over the summer.
The experienced but under-achieving duo departed for Inter Milan on permanent and loan deals respectively.
And that has left United relying too much on Marcus Rashford, who still looks more comfortable in a wide or free-roaming strike role.
Frenchman Anthony Martial has started the season brightly, but also seems to lack the targetman or predatory instincts of a traditional No9.
So England Under-21 poacher Mason Greenwood is higher up the pecking order than many would have predicted for an 18-year-old.
So Haaland, the son of ex-Leeds midfielder Alf-Inge, appears an attractive option, especially as he played under Solskjaer for Norwegian side Molde.
He became the first teenager since Wayne Rooney to score more than once on his Champions League debut with a stunning treble in last month’s 6-2 home win over Genk.
Yet SunSport told how United missed the chance to sign Haaland in the summer of 2018.
His family met an old Trafford representative in June that year.
And a month later a United scout saw Haaland bag four goals in 17 minutes to destroy Brann.
But instead Salzburg pounced, paying Molde 2million for Haaland in August 2018.
