Herbert Hainer says Bayern Munich would have signed Erling Haaland if not for Manchester City

Despite the recent emergence of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, one of the primary storylines at Bayern Munich this season has been the lack of a full-time, starting striker.

Just for a moment, though, imagine that Pep Guardiola was not backed by mountains of oil money and did not have the ability to pay anything he wanted for — and to — a player.

This is a world where Erling Haaland would be the solution to Bayern Munich’s striker problem and not a potential roadblock to winning the Champions League — at least according to team president Herbert Hainer.

“Haaland is interesting for every top club in the world and we had the best chances (to sign him) alongside Manchester City,” Hainer told Mediengruppe Bayern (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “We may have fewer financial possibilities than other top international clubs, but we can score points in Europe with our identity. Players here get their wages on time and are treated like family. We also offer title perspectives, which is what matters most to players.”

In some ways, this is maybe an area where Bayern Munich could have had more foresight. Robert Lewandowski had hinted over the years that he wanted to move to Spain and with the timing of his contract ending, the club could have a little more urgency to try and find a post-Lewy plan.

That, however, is water under the bridge.