Manchester United need to be “dreaming” of deals for players like Erling Haaland in a bid to restore the club to former glories, believes ex-striker Dimitar Berbatov.
Haaland has firmly established a reputation as one of world football’s most sought-after players at Borussia Dortmund, scoring 80 goals in just 79 appearances across all competitions since his £17million move from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020.
The prolific Norwegian striker is widely expected to be on the move again this summer, with a £63m release clause that becomes active at the end of the season no doubt proving very attractive indeed to rumoured top suitors such as Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Bayern Munich.
United have also been linked with Haaland in the past and tried to sign him before he went to Dortmund two years ago, though the club’s current malaise has likely put an end to any possibility of such a blockbuster transfer coming to pass.
Indeed, in an amusing video clip recently posted to social media, United’s interim boss Ralf Rangnick responded, “Who? What are you dreaming at night?!” after a fan asked him if Haaland would be one of three high-profile names arriving at Old Trafford this summer.
But ex-United star Berbatov clearly believes his old club need to try and set their sights high in the transfer market in a bid to arrest that ongoing slump.
“I saw the video going around social media of Ralf Rangnick laughing off Erling Haaland signing for United. He told a fan that they ‘must be dreaming’ about signing him, maybe that’s a sign that they can’t afford him or it’s not possible for him to move to the club at this moment in time when they aren’t producing good enough football to get his interest, maybe that’s what he meant,” the Bulgarian told Betfair.
“For me they need to go back to those high standards of performance that they used to set, so that they can attract big players.
“Everybody wants him in summer and maybe Rangnick was being realistic. It’s not a great look though, and in this day and age you have to be careful because you can end up in a moment where you need to explain yourself.
“You must be mad to not want a player like Haaland in your team, so maybe Ralf Rangnick should start dreaming.”
