Trusted source reveals when Erling Haaland is most likely to leave Man City amid talk of ‘astronomical’ offer
Transfer insider Ben Jacobs has told TEAMtalk when Erling Haaland’s situation at Manchester City is likely to change, while also confirming that the striker has an incredible €200million (£175m) release clause in his contract.
City spent £51m when signing Haaland from Borussia Dortmund last summer. He moved to the Premier League with high expectations after bagging 86 goals in 89 matches during his time in Germany.
Pep Guardiola has managed to make Haaland even more efficient in front of goal. So far this season his record stands at 39 goals in just 36 appearances.
The Norway international has become City’s best-ever goalscorer in a single campaign, beating Tommy Johnson’s 94-year record. And he could reach the 50 mark as it is only March.
Haaland’s stunning five-goal demolition of RB Leipzig saw him reach 30 strikes in the Champions League faster than any other player. The previous record was held by Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe.
Haaland has also managed to find the back of the net 10 times in his first UCL campaign with the Citizens. No player in their history has done this previously.
The deadly attacker, who is just 22 years of age, is enjoying an unbelievable season. However, there have recently been rumours that he could secure a shock move away from the Etihad.
Real Madrid and PSG have both been linked with Haaland. And there have been claims either club may match his huge £175m release clause this summer.
Erling Haaland currently ‘untouchable’ at Man City
Jacobs has told TEAMtalk that City fans do not have to worry about the player going this summer, as he is currently viewed as being ‘untouchable’.
“I don’t think Erling Haaland to Real Madrid is in any way imminent with a view to this summer,” Jacobs said. “Haaland has only just arrived at Manchester City and is scoring goals and breaking records for fun, Manchester City see him in the short-term future as untouchable and it would obviously take an astronomical offer to change that narrative.
“And there’s really not that many teams that can afford to sign Erling Haaland. You don’t just have to find the transfer fee – which would be humongous – you also have to be able to afford to pay the player’s wages. And this is why Real Madrid are going to struggle.
“Erling Haaland does have a release clause, which kicks in next year, and that is set at 200 million euros. And it’s normal to have a clause like that in the contract. But of course, if things go to plan at Manchester City, they can always look to renegotiate and change the narrative, but that clause is there to ultimately protect the value and cannot be activated anyway, at this point. It’s not true, by the way, that there’s anything in the Haaland contract that is Real Madrid-specific either.
“Manchester City know that pretty much no club at this stage can afford Erling Haaland because you’ve got to match the Premier League wage, and there’s no ability to sign Haaland without Manchester City agreeing to a number. And that number would be so astronomically high, that even if Real are looking for a succession plan to Karim Benzema, it’s going to be near impossible for them to pull anything off this summer.”
While it seems Haaland will be remaining a City player next season, that could change in 2024 if he tells club chiefs he wants to join another major side such as Real or PSG.
“Once we get on to 2024 the situation can change a little bit because City don’t really hang on to players, if they know that they’re unhappy and they want to leave,” Jacobs added. “We saw that with Joao Cancelo when he was loaned to Bayern Munich as well. But obviously with Haaland it’s all about getting the value that’s right for Manchester City if they ever choose to sell him and at this point, they’re simply not contemplating that.”
