How Omar Berrada helped Man City beat Manchester United to Erling Haaland transfer

Manchester City pulled off the transfer of the summer in 2022 after agreeing a deal to sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.

The Norwegian striker arrived at the Etihad Stadium on the back of two-and-a-half extraordinary seasons in the Bundesliga, during which he scored 86 times in 89 appearances.

Real Madrid were also extremely keen on acquiring the services of Haaland, though it was City who eventually came out on top. United's previous interest in the 23-year-old is no secret, too, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sharing the Red Devils turned down the chance to recruit the youngster for £4million during his days at Molde.

United continued to be mentioned in the race to sign Haaland right up until he decided to join the Citizens and are now living to regret missing out on such a transfer. Key to Pep Guardiola's side winning this battle was the Red Devils' incoming CEO, Omar Berrada, who has been heavily involved in some of City's transfer activity in recent years.

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Explaining how he sold Haaland a move to City to, the 46-year-old previously remarked: "A player like Haaland really could have chosen any top team in Europe. Almost all the top teams were interested in his signature.

"For us, it was about understanding what motivates him. When you boil it down to its essence, he wanted a football project. We spent a lot of time explaining the football project. He's a strong character and the decision was taken by him but clearly the fact that his father had played for Man City, there was an affinity.

"The transfer market has