Manchester United were not among the seven teams Erling Haaland considered signing for this past summer window.
The Red Devils came close to securing the services of the Norwegian star when he left RB Salzburg for Borussia Dortmund while he was still unknown approaching three years ago.
The influence of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Haaland’s coach during his formative years at Molde, failed to convince the striker to move to Old Trafford and he cemented a reputation as one of Europe’s most feared strikers during his spell in the Bundesliga.
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Haaland has hit the ground running since his £51.2m move to the Premier League and has already scored 15 goals in 12 games for club and country this season.
Explaining the process of selecting his new club in the documentary Haaland — The Big Decision, which was aired on Viaplay, the Scandinavian streaming service, Erling’s father, Alfe Inge, a former City player explained the system his son devised which helped him settle on a decision.
‘On our list, I think City is the best team,’ Alfie said in the film, a few months before his son made his decision.
‘[Bayern] Munich is number two. We have Real Madrid as number three, Paris Saint-Germain as number four.
‘We also have some English teams other than City who are quite good . . . Liverpool and Chelsea. Also, there is Barcelona. They are sort of in the same row.’
Haaland has thrived as the focal point in Guardiola’s attack but he claimed the manager wasn’t a key factor in determining his destination.
He said: ‘I have never transferred to a club because of the manager but it is a big plus with [Pep] Guardiola at City, he is the best manager in the world.’
Explaining the decision to reject Bayern and turn down the overtures of Ligue 1 giants PSG, meanwhile, Alife added: ‘One of the criteria is about whether the club needs a No 9.
‘City is ten [out of ten] in that respect. Bayern Munich gets one point for that, they don’t need a No 9. They have their best player as a No 9, but if he [Lewandowski] goes, then they have no one else.
‘It would have been quite controversial to go to Munich but when we go through it, it’s one of the best teams. Real Madrid are a five or six [out of ten]. They have [Karim] Benzema, and will they get Mbappe?’
