Club president claims Erling Haaland transfer deal was ‘close’ but ‘bureaucratic reasons’ prevented transfer | OneFootball

Manchester City’s star man Erling Haaland has been a topic of discussion for Inter Milan’s president Giuseppe Marotta this week, and particularly the player’s future.

The 67-year-old chairman and chief executive officer of Internazionale Milano claimed that he had come close to signing Erling Haaland for his previous employers, Juventus before the striker ultimately left FK Molde for RB Salzburg.

The Italian was also the CEO of Juventus between 2010 and 2018, and has stated during a recent interview that the Norway international star was offered to the Serie A giants whilst starring for Molde between 2017 and 2019.

Erling Haaland visited a Juventus match and as such was close to making the move before “bureaucratic reasons” prevented a transfer, according to Giuseppe Marotta this week, speaking after his visit to the Etihad Stadium with Inter.

“When he played in Norway, at Molde, he had been suggested to us. He came as a 15-year-old to watch a Juventus-Inter match at the Allianz Stadium,” Giuseppe Marotta told Amazon Prime, as relayed by Il Bianconero.

He continued, “We were close, but some bureaucratic reasons prevented us from closing the deal, but it is part of the history of those like me and my management at the time who dealt with dozens of players.”

Instead, Erling Haaland started to shake the European football landscape at RB Salzburg and onto Borussia Dortmund, before his eventual move to Manchester City in the summer transfer window of 2022.

In hindsight, the initial concerns about how the striker would adapt to the Premier League look ridiculous, having now scored a staggering total of 72 goals in 70 appearances for Manchester City in the division.

After a summer off due to Norway’s failure to qualify for the European Championships, Haaland has started the 2024/25 campaign in frightening fashion, scoring nine goals in four top-flight appearances, with successive hat-tricks under his belt.

The Norwegian international has been one of the best signings at the Etihad Stadium in recent years and will continue to impact games and seasons with his incredible goalscoring touch, closing in on his 100th strike in a sky blue shirt after just 104 appearances.

Haaland has already won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, the UEFA Champions League, a FIFA Club World Cup crown, and the UEFA Super Cup during his relatively short time working under Pep Guardiola.