Man City BRACED for Haaland exit as Pep targets Gyokeres transfer

Robin Bairner

• 24 Oct 2024 07:42 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester City are already drawing up a contingency plan should they fail to tie Erling Haaland down to a new contract – and it is not one that is likely to please Arsenal.

Haaland’s deal with the Cityzens is up in 2027, and while there have been reports that talks are underway, there has been little apparent progress made.

As such, Sky Sports reports that Pep Guardiola’s team are planning for the worst, with Real Madrid looking to potentially raid them for the Norwegian superstar – and that means making a move for Viktor Gyokeres.

Gyokeres, meanwhile, is a long-time Arsenal target, with FootballTransfers having revealed last summer that he was Mikel Arteta’s priority before it became apparent that Sporting CP were determined to demand the full payment of his release clause to green-light a move. With this standing at €100 million, the Gunners pulled out.

STATS

Viktor Gyökeres

F (C)

Sporting CP

Viktor Gyökeres

F (C)

Sporting CP

All Tournaments

2024/25

• 13

  Games

• 13

  Goals

• 4

  Assists

View all stats

The Sweden international has been prolific this season – scoring 13 times in 13 games for Sporting – marking him out as a player to watch during the January market but especially next summer.

“Already in contact with his entourage, Hugo Viana has made the Swedish striker a priority and wants to build the backbone of his Manchester City project around him,” Sky Sports reports.

While Arsenal have done a good deal of groundwork on Gyokeres, City have the capability to blow them out of the water financially, both in terms of matching Sporting’s transfer fee request and in offering the player a lucrative package.

Real Madrid chasing Haaland

Haaland leaving Man City could trigger this chain of transfer dominoes, with Real Madrid particularly attentive to his future.

Indeed, it is even claimed that, despite signing Kylian Mbappe this summer, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez wants Haaland for 2025/26 and is prepared to match a €150m release clause in the player’s contract at City to make it happen. This is virtually identical to his €149.3m Estimated Transfer Value (ETV).

And Haaland wants the move, according to Sky Sports’ information.

Compared

Erling Haaland

F (C)

Man City

Erling Haaland

F (C)

Man City

VS

Viktor Gyökeres

F (C)

Sporting CP

Viktor Gyökeres

F (C)

Sporting CP

€149.3M	ETV	€24.9M
€112M - €186.6M	ETV Range	€18.6M - €31.1M
24 years old (21 Jul, 2000)	Age	26 years old (04 Jun, 1998)
Norway	Nationality	Sweden

“Attracted by the Madrid project, Haaland has already expressed to his entourage the clear desire to become a Real Madrid player in the near future,” it states.

With Pep Guardiola’s future at City also uncertain, it could very well soon be all change at the Premier League champions.