Manchester City aspires to close and announce the signing of Erling Haaland (Leeds, United Kingdom, although of Norwegian nationality; 21 years old) this week.
The English club has responded to the international striker's requests and is also negotiating his transfer to Borussia Dortmund.
The player bets on the leader of the Premier League after Barcelona cannot face an operation that the Barça president himself, Joan Laporta, valued at around 300 million euros.
The critical economic situation of the Barcelona entity reduces its room for maneuver and the footballer prefers City to Paris Saint-Germain after Real Madrid insist on Kylian Mbappé.
The market is awaiting the domino effect that Haaland's departure from Germany will cause.
The Athletic
revealed that the Norwegian's signing for City is so advanced that it will be announced before the next league matchday, "except for any unforeseen delay", a nuance that reveals that the contract is not closed although authorized sources from the English club itself confirmed to this newspaper that "is on the right track" -some information claimed that the footballer passed a medical check-up in Manchester yesterday-.
The terms of the agreement with the player have been defined since April and the talks are now focused on Borussia.
Those responsible for the German club assured precisely last week that in a few days, before the shareholders' meeting to be held this month, Haaland's future would be known.
The 21-year-old goalscorer intends to be the figure of his next team, a rank that he would hardly assume at Real Madrid, which also intends to incorporate Mbappé.
And, at the same time, Manchester City is looking for a striker of the Norwegian's category after last season they tried unsuccessfully to hire the English international Harry Kane because the striker failed to disassociate himself from Tottenham.
The arrival of Haaland could also mean the renewal of Pep Guardiola until 2026, as EL PAÍS reported on Wednesday.
The coach, who arrived at the Etihad Stadium in 2016, has insisted since last year on the need for his team to take a leap in quality by hiring a scorer like Haaland.
The petition has been activated after Manchester City's elimination from the Champions League semi-finals against Madrid and will be granted by owner Mansour bin Zayed.
The frustration of conquering Europe contrasts with his career in the Premier League, leading with a three-point lead over Liverpool.
Although the total amount of Haaland's signing is unknown, it is known that his exit clause amounts to around 70 million euros.
On the other hand, the commissions are presumed to be as high - the Norwegian's agent was the recently deceased Mino Raiola - as his contract and the operation will exceed 200 million euros, an impossible amount for Barcelona despite his interest, expressed by himself coach Xavi Hernandez.
The coach, who even met with the player in Germany as published by
L'Esportiu
, admitted on the eve of receiving Celta that the club does not have the money to bid for Haaland.
the white option
Although their priority is Mbappé, Madrid were also interested in Haaland, who has scored 21 goals in 23 Bundesliga games and three in the Champions League.
The talks, however, did not bear fruit due to some clauses, especially a 150 million release clause that the player wanted in his second year and that was not accepted by the club, according to SER.
Injuries have conditioned the performance of the player, who decided to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer.
City awaits him and his signing will be made official with three games remaining to finish the Premier.
The situation requires, precisely, a certain caution on the part of the English club so as not to influence the progress of the team, which on Sunday thrashed Newcastle by a resounding 5-0.
The news about City's negotiations with Haaland, and his possible trip to Manchester, coincided precisely with Mbappé's visit to Madrid, according to
Cadena Cope
.
The French striker was visiting, accompanied by his friend Achraf, while his agents negotiate with Madrid.
Image rights are the biggest stumbling block in the talks and, on the other hand, PSG has not given up convincing the player to stay in Paris.
The French club tries to bid for Mbappé after knowing that he will hardly be able to sign Haaland.
Although their offer is financially inferior to that of PSG, Madrid is confident of finally being able to incorporate Mbappé after he already sought his signing in 2017, when the striker played for Monaco and last summer, when he made his proposal in 200 millions of euros.
The Paris club, which signed Messi last season, does not plan to explain his plans until May 21, the day the season ends in France.
The focus is now on Manchester and then it will focus on Mbappé.
Robert Lewandowski is also waiting – he has one year left on his contract with Bayern Munich – and Mohamed Salah, pending renewal by Liverpool.
The Haaland effect will shake all the leagues in Europe.
You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes on
and
, or sign up here to receive
our weekly newsletter
.
