Manchester United report: Ralf Rangnick denies outrageous rumour that he stands to earn £8.5m bonus from signing one player

Manchester United have not quelled their interest in superstar striker Erling Haaland - and now the papers have suggested that interim boss Ralf Rangnick has an ulterior motive to get the deal done, too.

Haaland has close links to Rangnick and came through the Red Bull system, signing for Salzburg after a particularly fruitful development at Molde. Talk also suggests that Rangnick is close to Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge, who played for Manchester City.

Rangnick seemed a leftfield choice for the Red Devils that came out of nowhere. But perhaps the German, who was working at Lokomotiv Moscow, has partly been brought in for his contacts with one star in particular?

The man himself has denied such rumours.

Manchester United are thought to be paying the godfather of the gegenpress up to £8m a year, making the reported Haaland bonus more than his yearly wage. This is on top of what United would have to pay Borussia Dortmund, too.

The Norwegian is rumoured to have a release clause in the region of £68m that kicks in after this season ends. While that is significantly cheaper than Haaland would cost at face value, it doesn’t factor in signing bonuses and wages of beating a host of other top sides to signing one of the most exciting forwards in Europe.

United have Cristiano Ronaldo on the books until 2023, though the Portuguese has recently touted for a move to PSG. Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford can also play up front but longterm interest in Haaland dates back to when the 21-year-old moved to the Bundesliga.

The Old Trafford outfit bid for Haaland but were beaten by Dortmund’s offer of developing the player. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had previously worked with the striker at Molde.

United beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at the weekend in Rangnick’s first game in charge.