Manchester United’s chances of signing Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland next summer may have been boosted by the club’s decision to snap up Cristiano Ronaldo, according to ESPN.

Many had assumed that the Portuguese international’s return to Old Trafford would have led to the Red Devils’ cooling their interest in Haaland, due to the fact they play in the same position.

However, ESPN claim that is not the case, and the fact that Haaland is a keen admirer of Ronaldo could aid United’s attempts to beat their rivals to the Norwegian international’s signature at the end of the season.

The 21-year-old’s €75m (£64m) release clause is expected to attract a lot of interest from the likes of Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.

United are, though, hoping that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s relationship with Haaland, combined with the presence of Ronaldo, may help convince the player to make the move to the red half of Manchester next year.