Man City: Haaland ‘demands main condition’ as Barcelona ‘accept’ signing terms in ‘defined plan’
According to reports, Erling Haaland has one ‘main condition’ for signing a Manchester City contract extension amid interest from FC Barcelona.
Haaland has cemented his place as one of the world’s best strikers following his £51m move to Man City from Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund in 2022.
The Man City forward has been in fine form this season as he’s scored 15 goals in his 16 appearances. Overall, he has 105 goals in his 114 appearances for the Premier League holders.
The Norway international is tied to Man City until 2027 and it has been reported that Pep Guardiola’s side are keen for him to sign an improved contract.
Reports on Haaland’s contract talks have emerged amid interest from La Liga giants Barcelona, who are in the market for a long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski.
Barcelona have also been linked with Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres – who is the 2024 top scorer in Europe – but a report in Spain claims they have a ‘defined plan’ to sign Haaland.
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The report claimed Haaland ‘will’ sign a new contract, but he remains Barcelona’s ‘dream signing’. It’s also claimed that his latest deal will include a 100 million euro (£86m) release clause and the Spanish giants have ‘accepted’ this ‘exit clause’.
Another report in Spain says Haaland has informed Man City his ‘main condition for renewing his contract’ as he is said to want a ‘£150m release clause’.
‘Haaland has made clear to Manchester City his main requirement for extending his contract: preserving the £150m release clause.
‘This demand from the Norwegian striker is key in the negotiations for his continuity, especially given the interest of European giants such as Barcelona and Real Madrid.
‘The Citizens’ board, who recently secured Pep Guardiola’s contract renewal, now have as a priority to convince Haaland to seal a new deal.’
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Earlier this month, journalist Graeme Bailey reported that Man City are “confident about agreeing terms” with Haaland.
“City are confident about agreeing terms. They’ve been trying for two years,” Bailey said.
“Obviously, the issue has always been the release clauses, which are not going to be removed from the contracts in any way, shape or form. It’s not going to happen. City have come to terms with that.
“Their hope is that they can be altered in terms of when they come into play. If he signs a new deal for instance in the next few weeks or months, which City hope, that will, from my understanding, mean it won’t be allowed to be triggered until 2026 rather than 2025.
“They’re not massively worried as the clauses are going to be huge anyway for teams to meet that. And Haaland has always had these in, they make sure these are in there for the long-term safety of the player.
“It’s just the situation that every contract Haaland has ever signed has had release clauses and that’s not going to change for this one. It’s nothing to do with him, or an exit strategy or anything like that, it’s just how they work.”