Erling Haaland said an immediate good feeling about Borussia Dortmund persuaded him to join the Bundesliga club instead of Manchester United.
The Norway forward has made a stunning rise to prominence after scoring 28 goals in 22 appearances across all competitions for Salzburg in the first half of the 2019-20 campaign.
It is little surprise therefore that a host of clubs were interested in signing the 19-year-old with Premier League giants United, Serie A champions Juventus and Dortmund’s Bundesliga rivals RB Leipzig all believed to have been keen on signing him during the January transfer window.
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However, it was Dortmund who won the race to sign the striker after activating a release clause in his contract worth in the region of €20 million (£17m/$22m) at the start of this month.
Presented to the media at Dortmund’s mid-season training camp in Marbella on Friday, Haaland, who has signed a four-and-a-half year contract, outlined the reasons for his decision.
As well as being attracted to Dortmund itself, Haaland also feels the Bundesliga is a perfect league for him to continue his development.
“It’s been good, great guys, great staff. A good first week,” Haaland told a news conference.
Asked why he picked Dortmund above United, Haaland added: “I chose Dortmund because my feeling was best here. It’s a massive club. I’ve always liked this club.
“When I mention it, I start to smile because I like the club and how it is, so that’s why. I like everything [the fans, the style of play], all of it.
“[The Bundesliga] is a good league with a lot of good players. It’s a great league, the teams play nice football and I think it’ll fit me.”
Haaland is set to make his debut for Dortmund in a friendly match on Saturday.
His competitive bow will not come until at least January 18, when Lucien Favre’s side take on Augsburg
Dortmund were beaten 2-1 by Hoffenheim last month in their final match before the Bundesliga winter break. The result leaves Favre’s side fourth in the table, seven points behind leaders RB Leipzig.
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