Oliver Kahn reveals Bayern Munich went to great lengths to try to sign Erling Haaland before he joined Manchester City… and decided not to break their wage structure to secure the record-breaking striker
- Haaland joined Manchester City last summer for an initial fee of £51.2 million
- He has broken the record for most goals scored in a Premier League season
- Bayern, meanwhile, have struggled this year, both domestically and in Europe
Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn has revealed that his side made every effort to sign Erling Haaland last summer.
The race to sign the attacker was hot last year when it was announced he was leaving Borussia Dortmund, and he eventually ended up at Manchester City for an initial £51.2million fee.
He has had a record season in his first year in England, already breaking the record for most goals scored in a Premier League season and helping City to achieve an historic treble.
Already established as one of Europe’s most deadly strikers, Haaland looks set to lead the way at City for years to come as they continue to compete at the top level.
However, things would have been different if Bayern had the financial clout to sign the Norwegian, with Khan revealing via Sport Bild that the club went to great lengths to try and secure his signature.
Oliver Kahn has revealed that Bayern Munich went to great lengths last summer to try and sign Erling Haaland
Kahn said Bayern decided not to break their wage structure to go to Munich
Haaland has had a record season in his first year at Manchester City
“We tried everything for Erling Haaland a year ago and went to the limit,” Kahn said.
‘We had to decide, do we want to break our wage structure? We weren’t ready for that. That’s not Bayern-like.’
Bayern are in hot competition with Haaland’s former club Dortmund to try to win the Bundesliga this season, and are currently one point clear with 31 games played.
The 22-year-old scored twice as City knocked Bayern out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals
They are going through a difficult season by their standards, having lost to City in the quarter-finals of the Champions League – when Haaland scored against them twice – and falling short in the German Cup at the same stage, when they lost 2-1. to SC Freiburg.
The club changed managers in March, replacing Julian Nagelsmann with Thomas Tuchel, and risks failing to win the German national league for the first time in 11 years.
City, meanwhile, look poised to win the Premier League as they face local rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final next month.
They drew in their Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid on Tuesday and will be favorites next week to reach the final in the second leg at the Etihad, with Haaland at the center of attack in recent weeks. of the season.