Man Utd plot January transfer raids to take advantage of Sancho situation and sign Haaland

Posted Saturday, November 16, 2019 by Express.co.uk

Man Utd plot January transfer raids to take advantage of Sancho situation and sign Haaland (Image: Getty)

Manchester United have been linked with moves for Jadon Sancho and Erling Braut Haaland.

Manchester United are lining up big-money bids for Jadon Sancho and Erling Braut Haaland in the January transfer window, it has been claimed.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to bolster his squad in January and has made the 19-year-olds his top winter targets in the hope it will propel United into top-four contention following their disappointing start to the campaign.

It was the club’s failure to qualify for the Champions League last season which hampered a summer pursuit of Sancho, but the Mirror say Old Trafford officials believe a window of opportunity has now opened to sign the winger.

Sancho has endured a tough month at Borussia Dortmund, stemming from his late return to the Bundesliga outfit from England duty after the last international break, which landed him a fine.

The Manchester City youth product was substituted 36 minutes into Dortmund’s 4-0 loss to Bayern Munich and United feel they must strike while the iron is hot and take advantage of the disharmony between the player and club, despite their original plans to make a formal bid in the summer.

Despite the current discord, Sancho is valued at £100million and that figure is only expected to rise should he rediscover his form at Signal Iduna Park, where he is contracted until June 2022.

As for Haaland, United feel as if they have a running start in their pursuit of the striker, who Solskjaer managed for over a year-and-half at Molde.

The Norwegian has scored an incredible 15 league goals in 12 games this season in the Austrian top-flight along with seven strikes in four Champions League appearances.

As a result, his value has rocketed to around £85million but United are again willing to meet that price if it means they pip their rivals to the 6ft 3in centre-forward.

Solskjaer, who is granted a veto on new signings, sent Simon Wells, one of United’s most trusted scouts, to watch the player on several occasions last season and has become convinced he can bind together the Red Devils' pacy attack.

There are fears Haaland would prefer a move to Barcelona or Real Madrid, however.

Haaland’s father is the former Leeds and City Alfe-Inge, whose career effectively came to an end following a horror challenge from Roy Keane.

The Red Bull Salzburg striker has therefore shown a reluctance when linked with United and is said to prefer a move to Barcelona or Real Madrid, who are both in the market for younger blood up front.

One option United are considering to appease Salzburg is to sign Haaland in January and then loan him back for the rest of the season.