Haaland’s £1bn transfer moves closer with Man City revelation

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 19 Apr 2023 14:06 BST
• 4 min read

Manchester City are ready to offer Erling Haaland a new contract at the Etihad Stadium, despite ongoing rumours that the striker only sees the club as a stepping stone to Real Madrid.

Haaland moved to City last summer from Borussia Dortmund and has been a revelation at the Etihad Stadium. Although some critics claim that his style disrupts the passing style of Pep Guardiola’s side, the forward has netted a formidable 47 goals in 40 games since moving to the defending Premier League champions.

Rival clubs have been heartened by a sense that Haaland at City is not something permanent. The 22-year-old old seems destined to move to Real Madrid at some point in his career, though this has been put under question after Pep Guardiola signed a new deal with the club.

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The former Red Bull Salzburg star had a release clause worth £150 million in his contract tied to the future of the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach. When Guardiola signed his new contract at the Etihad, this release clause was nullified.

There may be more such clauses in Haaland’s contract, but these have been kept secret.

The Athletic, meanwhile, reports that City are prepared to offer their prolific attacker a new contract with the club just months after his arrival. This opens the possibility of new clauses being brought into his deal.

The report goes on to explain that Haaland is very settled at Man City and believes the club is where he can best develop his game, and he is also pleased that the club have followed through on key promises made when he agreed to join them in the spring.

MORE: Haaland agent: 'Club director thought I was a hooker'

Haaland the first £1bn player?

Previously, Haaland’s agent Rafaela Pimenta has predicted that her player will lift transfer fees to a new level.

“Erling Haaland will be the first player to achieve a transfer that will be around £1 billion,” she claimed in October.

“If you put together his football value, his image value and his sponsor value, it is for sure £1bn. It’s normal to compare Erling to Kylian Mbappe to get an idea of the market.”

A reassessment of Haaland’s contract at Man City seems to draw this incredible proposition a little closer. If there is indeed no release clause in his new deal, it will take an astronomical sum to prompt his club to sell – and that could see him smash the current transfer record, which stands at PSG’s €222m signing of Neymar from Barcelona.