Erling Haaland is said to view Real Madrid as his ‘dream’ club amid recent links to the Spanish giants. The Manchester City striker has been a bargain buy for the Premier League side, scoring 162 goals and assisting 30 times in 198 appearances.
City signed Haaland, who is valued at a whopping £170m (€200m) by Transfermarkt, for just £51m and he has definitely lived up to the hype. But with form as good as a goal every 85 minutes on average, this has drawn plenty of interest from other clubs.
Real Madrid and Barcelona have both been linked with tempting the Norwegian away following the World Cup. Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme held a ‘Haaland 9’ shirt aloft during his election campaign and claimed the striker will join the La Liga giants this summer.
Riquelme said: “He has a release clause and would like to join Real Madrid. If I become president, he will play for Real Madrid.”
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This declaration has been rubbished in a joint statement from Alf-Inge Haaland’s father and his agent, Rafaela Pimenta. They said: “All very entertaining but not true. We wish all the best for both candidates in the Real Madrid elections.”
City went on to threaten legal action due to the unsubstantiated claims as a club spokesperson said: “The stories which have emerged from Spain regarding the future of Erling Haaland are untrue. There is no chance of this happening and there is no contractual clause to enable it.
5View 5 ImagesEnrique Riquelme claimed he would secure Haaland this summer(Image: Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images)
5View 5 ImagesDespite Riquelme’s best efforts, Florentino Perez was reelected(Image: Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
“We are considering legal action for the use of our player image in this context.”
Despite these bold claims, Riquelme lost the election and Florentino Perez secured his position for the 17th year in a row – and 23 years in total. Perez has claimed that a £130m move will be made this summer, but it won’t be for Haaland as first thought.
He said: “We’re going to make a significant offer, at least around €150m. He needs to be a player from midfield who can go forward. And it’s not Haaland.
“The player is not from the Premier League. And the first thing we’ll do is talk to the club. It’s a signing meant to generate excitement because that’s what it’s all about, generating excitement.”
View 5 ImagesThe Madrid president confirmed the £130m bid would not be for Haaland(Image: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
While no official bids have been made for Haaland, rumours have consistently emerged that he could one day depart the Etihad club. Speaking earlier this week, Borussia Dortmund president Hans Joachim Watzke responded to the speculation as he claimed a move to Madrid will happen in the future for the Norway international.
Watzke knows Haaland well from his time at the Bundesliga side and believes City will retain the superstar for at least a couple more seasons. He told Marca: “I know very well what Haaland thinks, and I can say that he certainly admires Real Madrid and would like to play there in the future, but next season he will continue at Manchester City.
“Erling Haaland loves Real Madrid and doesn’t hide it. But he won’t join this summer. I think he’ll play there in two or three years.”
View 5 ImagesHaaland seems settled at City(Image: Lewis Storey/Getty Images)
Barcelona are also interested, with Haaland’s agent previously hinting that a desire to move to Madrid’s rivals could be possible. Speaking to El Chiringuito de Jugones, Pimenta said: “I have often said that we have a lot of respect for Barcelona, a lot of admiration, but there has been no contact from the club, nor from its (presidential) candidates for a transfer.
“Also because the player renewed his contract a few months ago, he is very happy at Manchester City and we really have nothing to discuss about a transfer when everything is going so well.”
Haaland seems very settled at City, despite Pep Guardiola’s exit this summer, and is contractually tied down for another eight years. However, only time will tell whether the 25-year-old decided to eventually continue his stellar career elsewhere.
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