Blow For Man Utd; Juventus Veteran Snubs Red Devils To Join Qatar League

Juventus veteran Mario Mandzukic, who had been Manchester United target for a while now, has snubbed The Red Devils and joined a club at the Qatar League.

Mandzukic, who has shocked several top-flight clubs in Europe by joining Al-Duhail, had regularly been linked with Old Trafford, especially after Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri ignored him all this season.

However, it was understood earlier Man Utd’s interest had begun to fade away last month, which could have been the main reason why the Croatian chose to move to the Middle East and pick a big final payday.

The recent reports have suggested that Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is chasing Red Bull Salzburg forward Erling Haaland. The former Premier League champions are not the only club after the young Norwegian striker as they have competition from clubs like Juventus.

A few Italian media firms are reporting that Juventus are favorites to defeat Man Utd in the $33m race to sign Haaland ahead of the January transfer window.

If Man Utd manage to sign Salzburg forward, the 19-year-old’s salary will go from his current $26,000 a week to a massive $259,000-per-week deal.

Haaland is expected to have an added series of incentives to the deal, including goal bonus and another for the Golden Boot, according to a report from the Sun. The striker also will be handed a bonus if Man Utd qualify for the Champions League or win any trophies.

The Red Devils have also planned to loan Haaland, who has scored already 28 goals this season, back to Salzburg for the rest of the season, provided they buy him in January.

Along with Man Utd, the other club that is interested in signing Haaland is RB Leipzig. However, their head of soccer, Oliver Mintzlaff, seems to be aware it might be difficult.

“'Yes, we met with him. We are interested in the player, great interest. He listened to it, logically, and is very open to a move. He would like to change [clubs] in summer at the latest. It is not easy. There's Manchester United, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund. There are a few other clubs as well. Of course, our club also has certain guard rails and limits. And I have named the clubs that compete, and there may be salary regions that we don't want to go into. [The fee] is still manageable, but the package does not only consist of the transfer fee,” Mintzlaff said in a recent interview.

“It's the same cliche again - we can buy everything and we can get everything and we can do everything. Unfortunately, we can't, otherwise, Haaland would already be with us,” Mintzlaff said further.