- In his current Man City deal, Erling Haaland has release clauses.
- Real Madrid has long been regarded the most likely suitors for Norwegian
- Barcelona is prepared to design their transfer strategy through 2025.
Haaland Might now be at Manchester United forever
Barcelona is positioning themselves as a contender for Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland, 90min knows.
Real Madrid has long been seen to be Haaland’s most likely suitor, but 90min insiders say Barcelona is planning their own offer for the prolific Norwegian striker.
Barca presently has Robert Lewandowski in the number nine jersey leading their line. Long term, however, Haaland is considered as a suitable replacement for the veteran Pole, who recently turned 35.
Since joining Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund last summer, Haaland has been fantastic. In his debut season, he helped the team win the treble, including the club’s first ever Champions League victory, while also winning the Premier League Golden Boot and European Golden Shoe. Overall, the 23-year-old scored 52 goals in all competitions, including 36 in the Premier League.
Despite the fact that Haaland has only been in the Premier League for a little over a year, City are already working on a new deal to further reward their striker.
When Haaland arrived in Manchester, he signed a five-year contract that featured various release clauses. One of those was invalidated when Pep Guardiola signed his contract extension, resulting in no 2024 clause that would have enabled him to leave next year for £172 million (€200 million).
However, 90min has been informed that the clauses will go into effect in 2025. They do not name a club, but it does imply that the player might leave for a predetermined fee, estimated to be £150 million (€175 million). This figure will likewise decrease year on year.
One reason Barcelona is positioning itself as a potential landing destination is Haaland’s ability to leave for a fixed price in 2025. The club has been working hard in recent years to get its finances in order, but being able to plan two years ahead is an advantage.
In exchange for removing the release clauses on the horizon, City will make Haaland the Premier League’s highest paid player, with a base salary in excess of £500,000 per week. However, as things stand, Haaland has no incentive to do so.
Rafaela Pimenta, Haaland’s agent who took over the stable after the late Mino Raiola died, detailed the situation to AS last year and why it is unlikely to alter very soon.
“When a player goes to a club, I do everything I can to put the key in their hands,” Pimenta remarked in 2022. “If you don’t want to be there tomorrow because you don’t like it, or if they don’t pay you well, or if your wife wants to live in Paris, you leave, no?” I dislike it when the gamer has no say in the matter. In 25 years, I have completed all contracts at this agency. They’re all of them. There was never a time when a player said, ‘I want to go,’ and they couldn’t.”
