The manager of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola has described the striker of Borussia Dortmund, Erling Braut Haaland, as an exceptional striker but said the Premier League club didn’t plan to spend about £100 million on one player.
Erling Braut Haaland has been one of the most sought-after players in the world. He is being wanted by Real Madrid, Chelsea, and a host of other top European clubs.
Before now, there has been speculation that Manchester City intend to push for the signature of the 20-year-old goals machine but Pep Guardiola has earlier insisted that City would not go for the expensive youngster.
Erling Braut Haaland joined Borussia Dortmund on January 1, 2020, from RB Salzburg for a transfer fee worth €20 million. When he got to Germany, he became an instant success that within a year, his market value skyrocketed to over €110 million.
Between 2020 and 2021, the 20-year-old Norwegian striker has scored 49 goals and provided 11 assists in 50 games in all competitions which has made him a target of almost every top club in Europe.
This season alone, Erling Braut Haaland has scored 21 goals and provided 5 assists in 22 German Bundesliga games. He has scored a total of 33 goals and provided 8 assists in 32 games in all competitions so far this season.
The Norway international is expected to lead Borussia Dortmund to the Etihad Stadium today, April 6, to play against Manchester City in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final round.
Prep done for Dortmund! 💪
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 5, 2021
⚽️ @marathonbet
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Ahead of the game, Pep Guardiola insisted that though the striker has been performing exceptionally well for Dortmund, Manchester City are not ready to invest about £100 million in him. He however said the Norway international could be a target of City in the future.
“So far the club has decided not to spend close to £100m for a player,” said Guardiola. “Football is a team game, everyone contributes. It’s not just one player.”
“The fact we have not spent, for one player, a lot of money, gives you advantage.
“The only thing I can say is that, with his age, Haaland is an exceptional striker.
“Maybe in the future [spending more than £100m on one player] is going to happen if they decide it is necessary to improve the team for the next five, 10 years, for many reasons. But so far the club, organization action, the CEO, the sporting director decided not to do it and that’s why they didn’t do it.”
Though Manchester City are one of the clubs in Europe that spend heavily on players, they have never spent over £100 million on a single player. Currently, the club’s record signing is Rodri, a player that Manchester City signed from Atletico Madrid for a club-record £62.8 million in July 2019.
