Views: 0
He might have fired a blank in Manchester City’s defeat by Liverpool this weekend, but Erling Haaland’s debut Premier League season has been nothing short of sensational.
Haaland has netted 15 goals, including three hat-tricks, in just 10 appearances for the Citizens, who are once again in contention to win the title this campaign.
The Norway international is quickly being considered among the best players in the world, and City know that keeping the 22-year-old at the club for the long term is going to be difficult with the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG sniffing around him.
Making the situation perhaps even more difficult for City is the fact that Haaland has a £200million release clause in his contract that comes into play from the summer of 2024.
It only applies to teams outside of the Premier League, but by then Haaland may well be eyeing up La Liga for his next challenge anyway.
The striker’s dad Alf-Inge recently discussed his son’s future on the documentary ‘Haaland: The Big Decision’, where he acknowledged his plans to leave City at some point.
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.
Will Erling Haaland leave Man City in 2024? Let us know in the comments below!
“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?”
“On our list, I think City is the best team,” he said. “[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.”
City have a while yet before having to come to terms with potentially losing their prized asset, but the saga that awaits them in 2024 may be unusually problematic.
It will be a unique situation Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl knows only too well after he went through a similar saga in the summer just gone.
Kehl oversaw Haaland’s £51m transfer to City and claims the whole situation resulted in the forward becoming something of a “burden” on the dressing room.
Kehl told German publication Sport 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.”