Manchester City has agreed on terms with Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland ahead of a summer move.
What’s the latest?
According to The Guardian, Man City has agreed on terms with Haaland’s representatives and is ready to trigger the £63m release clause in his contract ahead of next season.
It’s also claimed that the future of manager Pep Guardiola whose contract expires in 2023 is irrelevant and that the player is ‘expected’ to sign for City either way.
The report also states that Haaland considered City’s offer the best out of all he received and that Puma, who is the club’s shirt manufacturer, looks likely to become the player’s sponsor so are also pushing for him to move to the Premier League holders.
Supporters will be buzzing
Supporters will still be rueing their missed opportunity at securing a second Champions League final appearance in as many years this week. The Citizens crashed out of the competition after losing in the semi-final 6-5 on aggregate against veterans of the tournament Real Madrid.
Goals are never a problem for Pep Guardiola’s side, they currently sit second for most goals scored in the Premier League this season behind only rivals Liverpool.
However, last summer they were constantly linked with a striker to replace the outgoing Sergio Aguero. They were linked with Tottenham Hotspur ace Harry Kane and were even reportedly close to signing Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo before he made his sensational return to Old Trafford.
Will Haaland join Man City?
In the end, nobody arrived to occupy that position, and ever since all eyes seem to have been firmly set on Haaland. The Norwegian has scored 21 goals in 23 Bundesliga appearances this season and is considered one of the best young players in the world.
The £135m-rated forward moved to Dortmund from the Austrian side of Red Bull Salzburg in 2019 for €20m (£17m). City’s neighbors United appeared to have met his release clause at the time but refused to meet his conditions on a contract.
The 21-year-old, who has been dubbed a “goal-scoring cyborg” by reporter Alex Truica, has broken many records in his career including becoming the first-ever Dortmund player to score on his league, Champions League, and domestic cup debut. Ever since then he’s attracted interest from many top clubs and he’s proved that he deserves a move.
It seems likely he will now move to the blue half of Manchester and follow in the footsteps of his father Alfie Haaland who spent three seasons at the club. Supporters will hope that the addition of his goals will be the missing piece that will finally fire them to European glory.
If Guardiola intends to leave at the end of his contract, then they’ve only got one more season to do it. Their domination over the past decade has been relentless, and clubs around them should be scared because if they capture Haaland it’ll be difficult for anyone to get close, an eventuality that will no doubt leave supporters buzzing.
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