Manchester City are leading the race for Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland as Manchester United pull back from the battle.
The Daily Mail says United are reluctant to enter a bidding war for Haaland this summer, with City emerging as favourites to sign the prolific Borussia Dortmund star.
United thought they had a deal tied up for Haaland in January 2020, after manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer flew to Austria for talks with his fellow Norwegian, but the Red Bull Salzburg striker made a £19.5million move to Dortmund instead.
City, Chelsea and Real Madrid will lead the chase for Haaland if the 20-year-old leaves Germany in the summer, having already scored 37 goals in 34 appearances for Dortmund and Norway this season.
United are still interested in Haaland but will struggle to compete financially with their Premier League rivals in the current economic climate, especially because his £90m buyout clause can only be activated if the fee is paid in one instalment.
United are also wary of negotiating with the player's agent, Mino Raiola, and his father, Alf-Inge Haaland, after the breakdown of his move to Old Trafford 14 months ago soured relations between the camps.
It is a sign of Raiola's antipathy towards United that he is prepared to bury the hatchet with Pep Guardiola — their long-running feud dates back to Guardiola's fall-out with Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Barcelona — and discuss a move to City, where Haaland's father spent three years as a player.
