Erling Haaland has been the forefront of the best Manchester City of all-time, earning Pep Guardiola's third "treble" (Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup) and, alongside Kylian Mbappé, is the rising star of the new generation of football stars. But is his time at City coming to an end? Yes... and not, according to different sources.
While Haaland's contract with City extends through 2027, he signed a release clause that allows him to exit a club if he chooses to (for about 150 million euros). And according to Sky Sports, he intends to use it at the end of the season, because the goal of the 24-year-old Norweigan striker is to join Real Madrid.
However, Spanish outlet Marca denies this rumour, saying his intention is to stay at Manchester City and the player and club are currently negotiation an extension of his contract. His immediate future remains as a Citizen.
Even if Haaland stays, Manchester City could loose Pep Guardiola next year
Haaland exiting City could be prompted not only by his desire to join Real Madrid, but by two internal factors. One of them is the trial the club is facing for violating market and competition laws, with over 130 charges for breaking regulations between 2009 and 2018, that won't be solved until early 2025.
The other is another important loss for the club, this one looking much more likely: coach Pep Guardiola. Recently, Guardiola talked more openly about his future, and while rumours about him coaching England didn't last long (Thomas Tuchel was the chosen one), the confirmed exit of Man City's football director Txiki Begiristain (Pep's close friend and former colleague at FC Barcelona) could speed up Pep's exit from City, after eight very succesful years.