Race to sign Erling Haaland takes a twist as decision could be made sooner than expected

While a move from Borussia Dortmund in the upcoming January transfer window seems highly unlikely, Manchester United and Manchester City are among those now pushing to sign a pre-contract agreement with the striker.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are also in the mix to sign Haaland, with the Spanish giants desperate to sign the 21-year-old if they can find a way to fund the deal.

Now Haaland's agent Mino Raiola is preparing to start a bidding war for his star client, who can leave Dortmund for cut-price €75million next summer.

Raiola is expected to demand a huge signing on fee, vast wages and a huge agent fee to finalise what will be one of the biggest transfers of 2022.

Despite Manchester United's persistent interest in Haaland, it seems Raiola has his sights set on moving the player to a club with a more recent recod of trophy succes.

"He can and will take the next step," says Raiola. "Bayern, Real, Barcelona, City - these are the big clubs he can go to. City have won the championship five times in the last few years, much more than United.

"We all knew when we moved to Dortmund that this step would come. "We will tell BVB (Borussia Dortmund) what our idea is and BVB will tell us their ideas. But no decision will be made in the winter.

"He is someone who wants to develop, who is looking for new challenges. And of course it's also a question of the alternative. You only change if you have a better alternative."