Everton passed up €4m deal to sign teenage Erling Haaland
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Everton had the chance to sign a teenage Erling Haaland for €4 million, but the Premier League club decided not to take the opportunity.
There is little doubt that Haaland is the hottest prospect in world football at the moment - alongside Paris Saint-Germain ace Kylian Mbappé.
The 20-year-old has taken the world by storm, lighting up the Bundesliga and the Champions League with his goals, and is continuing his meteoric rise at Borussia Dortmund.
Haaland's prolific scoring has attracted interest from a number of top clubs, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool.
However, it is the Reds' Merseyside rivals who could've had the goal machine playing for them.
The chance to steal a march on the young Haaland came through the uncanny eye of Steve Walsh, one of the most respected spotters of talent in the business .
Walsh put together the famous Leicester City side that upset the odds to win the Premier League, finding gems like N'Golo Kanté, Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy.
Everton then took him to Goodison Park and made him their director of football in 2016.
Walsh and his team of scouts had been keeping a close eye on the then-unknown Haaland whilst he was at Bryne in the Norwegian second division and identified him as a potential future superstar.
In a 2019 interview with The Athletic, Walsh said:
I had him [Haaland] and his dad at the club with a deal done for €4 million. The club wouldn't back me.
However, after a four-day trial at Everton and despite Walsh recommending offering him a contract, Everton decided against signing the teenager.
Haaland then went on to join Molde a year later before moving on to RB Salzburg and now Dortmund.
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