Manchester City are reportedly interested in signing Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Braut Haaland in next summer’s transfer window.
Christian Falk, the head of German weekly publication BILD Sport, has said that rumours linking Pep Guardiola‘s side with the Norway star are truthful. However, Haaland’s release clause at the Bundesliga club only becomes active in 2022, not next summer.
Manchester City Want to Sign Erling Braut Haaland
Haaland Won the 2020 European Golden Boy Award
Leeds-born striker Haaland has been a revelation since bursting onto the scene at former club RB Salzburg. The Molde academy graduate scored 29 goals in just 27 appearances for the Austrian outfit, earning him a move to Borussia Dortmund in January 2020.
Haaland has continued to hit the ground running in the Bundesliga. To date, he has netted 33 times in 32 games for Lucien Favre’s side, giving him a frightening goals-to-game ratio at just 20 years of age.
Such explosive form saw the player scoop the prestigious European ‘Golden Boy’ award for 2020, beating off competition from the likes of Bayern Munich full-back Alphonso Davies and Barcelona forward Ansu Fati.
The award is given to the best performer aged under-21 in Europe’s top five leagues and has previously been won by current Manchester City player Raheem Sterling.
Pep Guardiola Wants to Sign Haaland Next Summer
Understandably, Haaland has been continuously linked with a number of top clubs across Europe, despite having only recently joined Borussia Dortmund.
Perhaps a little cynically, many onlookers believe the Bundesliga side will be unable to keep hold of the striker for more than a matter of months. It has even been suggested that the player himself is using Dortmund as a stepping stone in order to hone in on his skills before moving to another European giant in due course.
Manchester City now appear keen to beat the other clubs in the queue for Haaland’s signature and could make their move at the end of the season.
Several news outlets are reporting that the striker’s four-and-a-half-year Dortmund contract contains a £63 million release clause. Crucially, however, this clause only becomes active in 2022, potentially allowing the German club to retain his services for up to two-and-a-half years before another club could trigger his departure.
Any deal to prise Haaland away from the Bundesliga in next summer’s window would therefore require a colossal transfer fee, with Dortumd having established themselves as firm negotiators last summer after refusing to budge under Manchester United pressure to sign Jadon Sancho.
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