Visit to Bayern chief’s home: Haaland was this close to joining Bayern | OneFootball

That FC Bayern was interested in Erling Haaland is not news. But now there are interesting new details about the record champion's courtship.

A clandestine visit, a cheeky remark – and a burst mega-deal: In his new book "Transfer Insider", BILD football chief Christian Falk reveals how close Erling Haaland actually came to a move to FC Bayern.

It was March 7, 2021, less than 24 hours after Dortmund's 2:4 defeat to the Munich team, when Hasan Salihamidzic took the first step. "We need to talk!", Bayern's then sporting director is said to have told star advisor Mino Raiola.

In Dortmund, it was already known at this point that Haaland would not fulfill his contract until 2024. A release clause of 60 million euros opened up new options for him early on.

Raiola listened to what Salihamidzic had to say – and arranged a secret visit to the Bayern boss's home in Harlaching. Through a side gate, directly into the garage, Haaland entered the villa unseen. There, the striker's first sentence was: "I like the house. I would like to have it – but for free!" The joke broke the ice, Haaland felt comfortable.

In the end, Haaland chose ManCity

In the conversation, the Bayern officials explained how much they wanted to build the team around the Norwegian. Haaland was the player of the future, for whom they would even go as far financially as never before. The impression stuck – even Raiola is said to have acknowledged: "You've convinced the boy! Now we need to talk about money."

Weeks later, the Bayern delegation met again with the agent, this time in Munich. The Munich team could not offer a Premier League salary, but promised a generous participation for father and son Haaland in a later record sale. With this, they wanted to enhance the offer.

But Raiola also negotiated with other clubs. Together with Haaland's father Alfie, he toured Europe, speaking with clubs from England, Spain, and Italy. In the end, the sobering call came: "The transfer will not happen. What I can tell you: You were the first choice in terms of sports for a long time. You had the best arguments. But financially, you were overtaken."

The rest is history: Haaland moved to Manchester City in 2022, where he immediately collected titles and goals in abundance. For FC Bayern, the chapter remained a missed opportunity – and the realization that even the best sporting arguments are not always enough when money is the decisive factor in international competition.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.