Erling Haaland is one of the, if not the, most sought after players in world football, with a host of European powerhouses fighting tooth and nail to secure his services. Unfortunately, one club appears to have a deal in place for the Dortmund sensation.
Real Madrid and Barcelona have been in hot pursuit, but they are not alone, as Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and PSG all hold interest in the 21-year-old. Up until now, many believed that the two Spanish giants were the favorites; however, according to the Daily Mail, a Premier League side have won the race for his signature.
That team is none other than Man City. The British news outlet claim that sources in Germany close to the move have revealed that a deal to bring Haaland to the Etihad Stadium is already in place. Personal terms have been discussed with the striker, and all that is left is for the Cityzens higher-ups to sign off on this agreement.
It's not hard to see where these rumors are coming from. Guardiola's side are in need of a goalscorer as they have been without a world-class no.9 since the demise of club legend Sergio Aguero. Additionally, Erling's father Alf-Inge Haaland is familiar with the Manchester giants, having played for the club in the early 2000s.
Initially, many saw this move as improbable due to Pep's rough relationship with Haaland's agent, Mino Raiola. The infamous Italian was Zlatan Ibrahimovic's representative during the Swedish icon's turbulent spell under Guardiola at Barcelona, and since then, the pair have never been fond of one another.
However, Haaland's agent is said to get a substantial agent fee for this move while the player himself will pocket a signing-on bonus. As for his release clause, it is reportedly worth $82M, which means the acquisition of the former RB Salzburg talent could cost a total of $130M.
Nonetheless, nothing is official until the striker puts pen to paper on a Man City deal, and as a result, Real Madrid and Barcelona will probably do everything within their power to prevent Haaland from ending up at the Etihad Stadium.
