Real Madrid were also seriously considered, but their pursuit of Mbappe complicated matters, while 34-year-old Karim Benzema has shown he's far from finished as a top-level striker after a season during which he has already topped 40 goals in all competitions.

Along with Kylian Mbappe, Haaland is the most coveted young player in the world -- and was No. 1 in ESPN's 39 players U21 list -- so much so that the pair have been tipped to take over from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the game's dominant global icons. Mbappe is still at the centre of his own transfer saga between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, which could see him move on a free this summer, but on Tuesday it was announced that Manchester City have won the €60 million race for Haaland. Even if the Premier League offers a sterner test than LaLiga for a young striker, it is City and Guardiola who are crying out for a No. 9 having navigated the campaign without one following Aguero's departure. On top of that, and everything else City have been able to offer, it's also being billed as a homecoming after Alfie played for City between 2000 and 2003. Ballon D'or: Erling Haaland and Romelu Lukaku finish just outside top ten ahead (11/2021): The world's best player for 2021 will be announced at around 9pm GMT at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris as the highly-coveted award makes its return after the 2020 edition was scrapped. Images are for illustration purposes only and the product/signature location & size my differ slightly.As we mourn Pele and marvel over what Messi did in Qatar, Erling Haaland might b (12/2022): OLIVER HOLT: Haaland is not Pele or Messi but his talent for scoring goals is marking him out as a phenomenon. Since his arrival he has taken the Premier League by storm. His representatives are well aware they could have made more money from a move to United -- a team also in the market for a young striker this summer -- but sources have told ESPN their interest was dismissed out of hand months ago. Every single Certificate of Authenticity is also verified by our chief executive officer - to guarantee that the item is genuine and hand signed.

Man United: Sam Allardyce slams Red Devils' 'mind-boggling' failure to sign Erli (01/2022): The Red Devils looked set to secure the Norwegian's signature in 2020 but Borussia Dortmund swooped in and sealed a move for him in the January window. The 'beautiful and intelligent' girl from the fjords by Erling Haaland's side: H (10/2023): Isabel, 19, is often pitch side to cheer the star striker. But her glamorous life in Manchester is a far cry from just a year ago when she was sitting in a classroom. Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling have fared rather better at times but still look happier out wide, as illustrated by the fact that Guardiola has even pressed Bernardo Silva into action there. He did so even when knowing that it did not suit the Portuguese. Manchester City chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, has high expectations for the arrival of Erling Haaland, as well as revealing the club's future plans and how he felt on the dramatic final day of the season against Aston VillaMan City scouts -- like most around the world -- have been aware of Haaland since he made his senior debut for Bryne in Norway as a 15-year-old in 2016, and his reputation as a powerful, prolific goal scorer has only increased in the years since. After a spell under former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Molde, he scored 29 goals in 27 games as a teenager for Austrian side FC Salzburg. In 2020-21, Haaland was integral in Dortmund's DFB-Pokal win, he won the Bundesliga Player of the Season award and finished as the top scorer of the Champions League.