Haaland’s move to City could be finalised as soon as next week
Manchester City have taken a significant step in their pursuit of Erling Haaland, reportedly reaching an agreement with the Norwegian’s representatives which will see him become the best-paid player in the Premier League.
According to the Daily Mail, City have offered a contract worth £500,000 (€602,000) a week to Haaland, which has now been approved.
The 21-year-old is widely expected to leave Borussia Dortmund in the summer and has also been strongly linked with Real Madrid, who are thought to be plotting a major squad overhaul ahead of next season.
Man City will match Haaland’s release clause.
Like Man City, Madrid are believed to be willing to pay the €75m release clause Haaland had inserted in his Dortmund contract. It is unclear, however, if Florentino Perez would be willing to sanction the kind of wage offer on the table from City, meaning the Premier League champions are now his most likely destination.
Should all go to plan, the deal could be finalised next week – with Haaland expected to ink a five-year contract at the Etihad.
The striker joined Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020. He had only signed for the Austrian club from Molde the previous summer, but his prolific scoring in the Champions League group stages alerted several of the continent’s top clubs.
None of this matters, of course. The power to decide on his next club ultimately rests with you*
*It doesn't https://t.co/dw59xQ6wPE
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) March 22, 2021
Man United missed out on Haaland two years ago.
Manchester United were strongly linked with him at the time, with then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keen to take him to Old Trafford having worked with him at Molde.
Solskjaer reportedly met with Haaland in December 2019, and left believing he had an agreement to sign him the next month.
However, reluctant to pay the agent fees attached to the deal and deterred by the eagerness of Haaland’s camp to add a release clause, United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward pulled the plug on a €20m deal, and Haaland went to Dortmund.
Haaland will follow in the footsteps of his father by joining City. Alf-Inge Haaland, who has played a key role in discussions over his son’s future, joined the club from Leeds in 2000, spending three years on the payroll at the club.
