Hasan Salihamidzic admits Bayern Munich tried to sign Erling Haaland

Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has revealed that they held talks with Erling Haaland before the striker decided to join Manchester City.

Erling Haaland left Borussia Dortmund earlier this summer, joining English Premier League side Manchester City on a five year deal. But the Norwegian international could well have stayed in the Bundesliga, as Bayern Munich were one of the teams interested in signing him.

Hasan Salihamidzic has admitted that the Bavarians held talks with Haaland, and they were keen on signing him. But the striker ultimately decided to join Manchester City. While appearing on BILD’s Phrasenmäher podcast, the Bayern Munich sporting director said:

"“We had a few conversations, of course, that’s no secret. We had things in mind that we could implement. In the end, it didn’t work out for various reasons. I don’t want to blame the player. He chose something that he thinks is better for him.”"

Bayern Munich wanted to sign Haaland as the long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski, which led to the Poland international feeling disrespected. Lewandowski decided to leave Bayern this summer, and completed his move to FC Barcelona last month.

Following Haaland’s move to Manchester City, Bayern Munich decided to sign Sadio Mané from Liverpool. And the 30 year old has made an impressive start to life in Munich, scoring four goals in just four appearances.

Erling Haaland, who scored 86 goals in just 89 appearances for Borussia Dortmund, has already found the back of the net three times in three English Premier League appearances for Manchester City.

Hasan Salihamidzic also revealed during the interview that signing Cristiano Ronaldo was out of the question for them. The Manchester United forward has been linked with both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in recent weeks. But it looks like he will not be making the switch to the Bundesliga.