Despite being one of the clubs who have retained the longest interest in signing Erling Haaland, Manchester United have now turned their focus away from the Norwegian, with it anticipated that a bidding war will occur in the summer.

Both Real Madrid and Barcelona have positioned themselves to make serious offers for the Norwegian star this summer, whilst Manchester City have also been tentatively linked with a move for the prolific goalscorer.

United, though, have seen their list of targets change due to a number of factors, not least the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo and the departure of fellow Norwegian, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as coach.

Whether or not Mino Raiola would want Haaland to go to Old Trafford after the fiasco that has been Paul Pogba's return to the club is another matter, yet the player himself appears to favour the Spanish capital.

Real Madrid want to form a prolific partnership between Haaland and Kylian Mbappe starting from the 2022/23 season, and the player himself is understood to prefer that move over one to Barcelona, despite the rather outlandish statements from Joan Laporta.

Manchester United, meanwhile, have other areas of focus ahead of the summer with Ralf Rangnick desperate to sort out their midfield woes.

Alongside midfield recruitment, River Plate forward Julian Alvarez has been linked with a transfer to Manchester in the winter window.