Borussia Dortmund swipes Manchester United target Erling Braut Håland in big transfer move

The first salvo of the January transfer window has been fired by Borussia Dortmund.

After weeks of speculation he’d be leaving RB Salzburg in Austria, Erling Braut Håland has officially agreed to join Borussia Dortmund. The German giants announced the news on Sunday, confirming his contract runs through 2024 and that he’ll join the team on January 3.

Rumors linked Håland to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s rebuilding of Manchester United, but Dortmund pounced and added a true No. 9 that figures to be a boon to their attack. Marco Reus has been deployed as a false nine in the interim this season, and while the talented forward has done amicably, it’s not his preferred position. Håland is a bigger target with considerable skill who should do wonders playing off Dortmund’s stable of scintillating wingers like Jadon Sancho, Thorgan Hazard and Julian Brandt, not to mention with Reus now potentially a playmaking second striker.

The 19-year-old Norwegian has scored 28 goals in 22 games this season for RB Salzburg and American manager Jesse Marsch, and he finished the Champions League group stage with eight goals, second only to Robert Lewandowski’s 10.

This is a big move, one that could yield Dortmund’s first league title since 2012 in a wide open Bundesliga. And one Manchester United may regret not getting done itself.

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