Former Manchester United caretaker manager Ralf Rangnick says he tried to buy big names in January.
Rangnick had an ill-fated spell last season after replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
And the Austria coach has claimed he was keen to sign some big name stars at the turn of the year.
Speaking to BILD, the 64-year-old said: “It was clear to everyone that there was a need in many areas.
“That’s why we were already discussing players like Josko Gvardiol and Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig. Those were names that were realistic.
“We also talked about Alvaro Morata, Luis Diaz, Dusan Vlahovic and, as I said, Haaland when they were still on the market.
“But the club decided at that time to rebuild the team under the new coach.”
