Man City: Haaland faces U-turn with Guardiola tipped to resign; ‘secret clause’ sets up ‘bomb transfer’
Man City striker Erling Haaland ‘could leave sooner than many think’ amid their poor start to the season under Pep Guardiola, according to reports.
The Citizens threw away a 1-0 lead in the closing stages of Sunday’s Manchester derby as Man Utd scored twice in the closing stages to win 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
Man City started the season quite well but they have fallen away dramatically in recent weeks with just one win in their last 11 matches in all competitions.
Guardiola’s side are hanging on to fifth place in the Premier League but arch-rivals Man Utd – who are 13th in the table – are now just five points behind despite their own terrible form.
Speaking over the weekend, former Man City boss Stuart Pearce claimed that he “could see” Guardiola resigning if their poor form continues.
Pearce told talkSPORT: “It’s employment, it’s a career. You’ve got to get happiness within the workplace and he might look to one or two of his close family members who may say, ‘Pep, come on now, you’re not the man you once were, is it time to step away from it?’
“Everyone in their own lives suffers pressure. Pressure to pay mortgages, pressure outside, you name it there’s a multitude of pressures.
“In football, you’re carrying the hopes and dreams of thousands of people and staff members.
“Bear in mind that you’ve brought in people to work alongside you that are going to lose their jobs as well.”
Haaland has been one of the bright sparks this season at Man City, despite only scoring one goal in their last five matches, with the Norwegian bagging 18 goals in 23 games in all competitions.
However, it has been rumoured for a while that Haaland’s future and willingness to commit to a new contract at Man City is linked to Guardiola’s tenure at the club.
Guardiola’s new contract earlier this season was seen as a positive for Haaland’s future but the more the current turmoil at Man City carries on, the less certain the Norway international’s future becomes.
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A recent report claimed that Haaland was close to finalising a new contract at the Etihad Stadium but that it included a ‘secret clause’ in case he wanted to make a ‘bomb transfer’ away from Man City in the future.
However, reports in Spain now claim that Haaland ‘could leave sooner than many think’ and that the 24-year-old ‘could be approaching a turning point’ at Man City.
Haaland is ‘not at all happy with the current situation’ under Guardiola and the Norwegian ‘has a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave for a reduced price if City fail to qualify for next year’s Champions League’.
It is understood that La Liga giants Barcelona are ‘particularly attentive’ and ‘if this clause is activated, the striker’s exit price could become a unique opportunity that [Joan] Laporta would not be willing to pass up’.
The report adds:
‘There is also another key factor that plays in favour of Barca: Haaland has expressed his interest in playing in La Liga and, specifically, in Spain on more than one occasion. Although Real Madrid also appears as one of the possible destinations, the good relations between the striker’s entourage and Laporta, in addition to Barcelona’s attractive sporting project, could tip the balance in favour of the Camp Nou.’
