Erling Haaland's MLS transfer admission after Lionel Messi's Inter Miami move

Stuart Telford

• 31 Aug 2023 16:14 CDT
• 3 min read

Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland has admitted he could follow Lionel Messi to Major League Soccer one day.

Haaland is unlikely to move anywhere soon, though - even if Real Madrid retain an interest in the goal-happy Norwegian.

Haaland, still 23, hit the ground running at Man City after arriving from Borussia Dortmund for just €60 million last summer, concluding his maiden campaign at the Eithad with 52 goals from 53 games in all competitions.

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It was the kind of goal production not seen since Messi's prime at Barcelona - and Cristiano Ronaldo's on the opposite side of the Clasico divide with Real Madrid - and the Argentine is now shining with Inter Miami after leaving Paris Saint-Germain on a free.

Haaland's view

Haaland remains under contract at City until 30 June 2027 - even if there are reports of a €200m release clause that activates next year - and he is also approaching his prime, making an MLS move decidedly unlikely at the moment. But he might be open to it in the future.

"I've not been [to the USA] much, so it's difficult to say," he told the 'Impaulsive' podcast with Logan Paul and KSI.

"But I'm 23, people are going over to the MLS and playing football there, I've never thought of it because I'm young. I'm a footballer, in 10 years I'm 33 and I've got my last couple of years in football…"

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Haaland's father, agent and former Man City enforcer Alfie have a points system to plot the striker's career moves, and City came out on top last summer given the club's need for a world class No.9 at a time when Real still had Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema on the books.

With Benzema since leaving for Al-Ittihad, Madrid now have that same need, with either Haaland or Kylian Mbappe wanted to plug the gap - although not both given the record European champions' financial constraints as they redevelop their Santiago Bernabeu home.