Solskjaer loses out with Erl
has collected 26 goals so far this season, sparking panEuropean interest in the forward and alerting Solskjaer to his ability.
Reports in Germany during recent days have suggested that the Bundesliga outfit were interested in 19-year-old Haaland.
And that means they will have first refusal because the buy-out in his current deal with the Austrians relates only to their sister club over the border.
Any other interested suitor would have to pay the going rate – and that means if Leipzig are interested they can hand over the cash to land their target.
Leipzig sporting director Markus Krosche has spoken in glowing terms this week about the teenager and his father has also suggested a spell in the Bundesliga should be his first port of call before he jumps into the Premier League.
It means that Manchester United will miss out – unless Leipzig activate the sale and then flip the player straightaway for a handsome profit.
Staggering
Salzburg were holding out for a £75m payment but that looks remote if Leipzig trigger their clause.
The transfer fee is a huge hike on the fee that the Red Devils could have paid when their attention was first drawn to the forward.
Haaland was just 16 years of age when he started making waves at his first club, Bryne in Norway.
He was offered around for a staggering £90,000 – but no one took the club up on their offer.
Everton did take a look at the youngster but Haaland was rejected on the grounds that he was ‘too wooden’ by the then recruitment team.
Even after he left his first club for Molde, he was available for a knock-down price – around £3m plus appearance-related add-ons.
But no one, apart from Salzburg were prepared to take the gamble.
Their punt on the striker is now being rewarded with a potentially-huge profit to be made on the youngster.