When top football clubs in Europe realized that there was a release clause in the contract between Borussia Dortmund and Erling Haaland which allowed him to leave for just €60milllion this summer, they queued up for his signature.
Amid that, Borussia Dortmund tried to convince the 21-year-old prolific striker to stay beyond this summer but the interests from competitive clubs across Europe were too tempting for him to be loyal to the German club.
Note that then, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and even Chelsea were all interested in securing the signature of Erling Haaland. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona were so close to doing so that Haaland’s agent Mino Raiola and the player’s father Alfie visited the two Spanish clubs for talks.
Agent Mino Raiola also had a meeting with Manchester City’s representatives over Erling Haaland’s move months before he was confirmed dead after a prolonged illness.
After a series of back and forth, Erling Haaland decided to settle for Manchester City. Initially, reports were that he decided to join Manchester City because his father, Alfie played for the club.
However, when Manchester City unveiled the 21-year-old Norwegian striker on Sunday, July 10, 2022, Haaland confirmed that he decided to join City because of the tactical prowess of the club’s coach, Pep Guardiola.
He recounted a UEFA Champions League match between Man City and his former club, Borussia Dortmund, in which he could not touch the ball for 25 minutes due to City’s possessive style of football.
“I played against them in the Champions League last year. You see them on TV and when you meet it’s completely different”, the Norwegian striker said.
“I didn’t touch the ball for 25 minutes. ‘Please Ilkay Guendogan, stop playing tiki-taka!’ It’s a different level how they approach the game and create chances. That’s what I wanted to be a part of.”
During the unveiling, when Haaland was asked the team he was looking forward to playing against in the Premier League, the Norwegian striker said he is looking forward to playing against City’s local rivals Manchester United.
Manchester City unveiled Erling Haaland alongside their other new signings, Julian Alvarez and Stefan Ortega.
The best bits from a great day! 🤩#ManCity pic.twitter.com/aYGKz0LXXx
— Manchester City (@ManCity) July 10, 2022
What is the contract between Manchester City and Erling Haaland?
After Erling Haaland scored 85 goals and provided 22 assists in 88 games in all competitions for Borussia Dortmund, the 21-year-old Norwegian striker joined Manchester City for €60million on July 1, 2022.
The contract Haaland signed with Manchester City will keep him at the Premier League club until June 30, 2027.
According to transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, Erling Haaland’s deal with City will earn him around $462,105 per week which means he and Kevin De Bruyne will earn the same salary.
Hence, Haaland and De Bruyne are the second-highest-paid players in the Premier League second to only Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United.
Futballnews has reported that Man City had assigned shirt number 9 to Haaland which confirmed that the 21-year-old Norwegian striker will spearhead Pep Guardiola’s attack in the 2022-2023 season.
