Erling Haaland is one of the hottest prospects in the transfer market at the moment. Although he has fervently pledged his alliance with Manchester City, a day doesn’t pass when the Norwegian superstar doesn’t get linked with other big clubs. A surprise team that was once interested in Haaland’s services was Napoli. However, the Italian giant’s president recently unveiled a tale strikingly reminiscent of Manchester United’s struggles, recounting how Haaland’s late agent thwarted their $54 million transfer plans by bluntly saying, ‘Don’t get in the way.’

Mino Raiola was one of the most renowned agents in soccer, representing some of the biggest names. Being Haaland’s agent, Raiola got a transfer query from Napoli during the time the striker was impressing for Red Bull Salzburg. “I remember when I discovered Haaland. For me, he was a great player,” reflects President Aurelio De Laurentiis while speaking at the Financial Times’ ‘Business of Football Summit.’ However, the 23YO’s late agent rejected the Serie A side’s request.

“He was at Salzburg. I wanted to buy him for €50 million ($54 million). Then Mino Raiola took me into a living room and said to me; ‘For Haaland, I’ve already taken care of it. Don’t worry. Don’t get in the way,’” added De Laurentiis. Haaland’s 29 goals in 27 games for the Austrian side impressed the Napoli president. But Raiola had already set up a deal with Dortmund, where he again impressed with 62 goals in 67 games. Either way, this is quite an eyebrow-raising revelation from De Laurentiis. Interestingly, Napoli isn’t alone, as this is similar to what transpired with Manchester United. 

How Mino Raiola made it difficult for Manchester United to sign Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s top target in the 2020 January transfer window. Unfortunately, the Red Devils ultimately missed out on the Norwegian star, withdrawing from negotiations due to their refusal to meet Mino Raiola’s demands. As per All Football, United attempted to bypass Raiola by negotiating directly with Haaland’s father, Alf Inge Haaland. Well, this attempt proved unsuccessful, leading Haaland to sign with Dortmund. The German side reportedly agreed to give both Raiola and Alf Inge Haaland a significant share of any future transfer fees.

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This further strained their relationship with Raiola. The influential agent was already dissatisfied with United’s treatment of Paul Pogba after he helped the Frenchman make a historic return in 2016. Raiola also helped the Red Devils sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Romelu Lukaku, as the agent vocally stated that he would refrain from bringing any more players to Old Trafford. This makes us wonder how things would have been if Haaland had successfully agreed to don the red Manchester jersey instead. 

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