Erling Haaland appears to be warming up to the idea of swapping his Manchester City shirt for a Real Madrid one, amid growing rumours of a switch to the Bernabeu.
The 24-year-old has been nothing short of sensational since he stormed into the Premier League champions’ squad in the summer of 2022. Haaland bagged himself a treble in his debut season, smashing record after record, with the Norwegian having netting an astonishing 101 goals in a mere 109 matches, reports the Mirror.
However, the City striker’s performances have reportedly caught the eye of admirers in Spain. Sky Sports report there is mutual interest between Haaland and Real Madrid over a potential move to the Spanish capital.
The Norwegian has a €150million (£125m) get-out clause in his contract, set to expire in 2027. And if their dreams do come true and Haaland heads to sunnier skies next summer, the Sky Blues already have their eyes on Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres as his replacement.
Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge, has been quite open about his son’s ambition. Speaking in the documentary ‘Haaland: The Big Decision’, he said: “I think Erling wants to prove his abilities in all leagues. Then he can stay there [Manchester City] for three or four years at the most.
“He could be, for example, two-and-a-half years in Germany, two-and-a-half years in England and then in Spain, Italy, France, right?”
(Image: Getty Images)
He added: “On our list, I think City is the best team. [Bayern] Munich is number two. We have Real Madrid as number three, Paris Saint-Germain as number four. We also have some English teams other than City who are quite good. Liverpool and Chelsea. Also, there is Barcelona. They are sort of in the same row.”
The whirlwind of rumours swirling around Haaland isn’t something new. This was also the case at Borussia Dortmund, where sporting director Sebastian Kehl hinted that it made the forward a “burden in the dressing room.”
Kehl previously told German outlet Bild: “As much as we always loved Haaland and he was successful with us, in the end, he became a burden on the dressing room, the club and the whole environment.”
“He had become the subject of every conversation. Outside the club, almost everything was exclusively focused on him. In the end, the timing of the transfer was right for both parties. And we are all happy for Erling that he continues to be so successful.”