Real Madrid were always in the race to sign Erling Haaland, according to The Athletic.
Los Blancos were interested in signing the Norwegian forward from Borussia Dortmund, as were Bundesliga side Bayern Munich, before Manchester City got their man.
Haaland had repeatedly told team-mates at Dortmund that he wanted to play for Madrid but that he was also concerned by forward Karim Benzema’s form and the possible signing of Kylian Mbappé from Paris Saint-Germain – something that was considered likely at the time.
Behind the scenes, City were making progress on the deal with Haaland’s entourage. Mbappé then decided to sign a new deal at PSG and Haaland ended up signing for the Premier League club, where he has scored a remarkable 52 goals this season.
Tonight, Haaland and City take on Madrid in the Champions League. The sides drew 1-1 in the first leg at the Bernabéu last week.
Kieran Quaile | GSFN
