Erling Braut Haaland's switch to Manchester City is now close to being official.

On Monday morning, The Athletic's David Ornstein revealed that the move will be completed some time this week, with the Premier League champions set to pay the young superstar's €75 million release clause.

It's a transfer that will certainly strike fear into the hearts of rival fans.

Haaland has evolved into one of the world's best forwards in recent years and his goal record at Borussia Dortmund is outstanding.

In 88 matches across all competitions, the 21-year-old has scored 85 times, including 15 goals in just 13 Champions League outings.

A player with those numbers operating alongside Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez? Yeah, that sounds pretty terrifying.

City have been awesome throughout 2021/22 without a recognised striker, so you dread to think what Pep Guardiola's side will be capable of with one of the very best leading the line.

For Manchester United fans, Haaland's switch to the Etihad Stadium will be a bitter pill to swallow, as they could have signed him for a bargain fee.

Erling Haaland celebrates a goal for Borussia Dortmund
DORTMUND, GERMANY - MAY 22: Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund celebrates after scoring their team's first goal during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Signal Iduna Park on May 22, 2021 in Dortmund, Germany. Sporting stadiums around Germany remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty I

How United missed out on signing Haaland for just €20m

While he was bursting onto the scene out in Austria with Red Bull Salzburg, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer met with the player and struck an agreement over a €20 million January move to Old Trafford.

So why did it fall through? Well, according to ESPN, Ed Woodward decided to pull the plug on the deal because of agent fees and the fact Haaland's camp wanted a release clause inserted.

That allowed Dortmund to swoop in and complete the transfer, a move which really has paid dividends for them.

The Bundesliga outfit got two-and-a-half brilliant years out of Haaland and will make a tidy €55 million profit as well.

That so easily could have been United and given the size of the club, they may have been able to hold on to him even with a release clause in his contract.

Solskjaer was adamant that the Red Devils should have completed the transfer, because even with the various strings attached, it made sense from a both a sporting and financial perspective.

The former United boss was right, but now the red half of Manchester will have to watch Haaland weave his magic in the sky blue shirt of their rivals rather than in their famous jersey.