Guardiola 'to put Raiola issues aside in £100m pursuit of Haaland'
Pep Guardiola’s ‘personal issues with Mino Raiola will NOT be an issue in £100m pursuit of Erling Haaland’… as Man City boss prepares to step up search for Sergio Aguero’s successor
- Pep Guardiola is willing to work with Mino Raiola to try and sign Erling Haaland
- Raiola and Guardiola have a toxic relationship but he represents the star striker
- But the City boss will put ‘personal issues’ aside to solve his goalscorer issue
- Several top clubs are chasing Haaland, who will cost in the region of £100million
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is reportedly willing to put his difficult relationship with agent Mino Raiola aside so he can enter the £100million race for Erling Haaland.
With the signing of a top-class goalscorer Guardiola’s highest priority this summer, it is no surprise that he is extremely keen on Haaland, whose meteoric rise in the Bundesliga has seen his score an astonishing 43 goals in 44 appearances for Borussia Dortmund.
But the Norwegian is represented by Raiola, who famously fell out with Guardiola over his treatment of superstar client Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Barcelona. But this enmity will reportedly not get in the way of Man City’s pursuit of Haaland.
Pep Guardiola (left) will leave ‘personal issues’ with Mino Raiola (right) aside for Erling Haaland
Superstar striker Haaland is represented by Raiola and several top clubs are keen to sign him
A senior Etihad source told The Mirror: ‘There have been dealings with Mino Raiola in the past and if he represents a player we are interested in, it won’t be an issue.
‘An example of how these things work happened a few years ago when there was an exchange of views between Pep and Yaya Toure’s agent (Dimitri Seluk).
‘That didn’t prevent Yaya from signing a new contract to stay with the club.
‘Personal issues don’t dictate what is best for the club.’
Haaland, the son of former Man City midfielder Alf Inge, is arguably the hottest transfer prospect this summer, with at least 10 clubs interest in signing him.
Raiola called Guardiola a ‘zero’ of a person for his handling of Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Barcelona
Guardiola wants to sign a striker this summer to replace the ageing Sergio Aguero
A buy-out clause in his contract that comes in next year means Dortmund are keen to offload the 20-year-old in the summer instead for a huge fee in the region of £100m.
Guardiola is increasingly unable to rely on an aging Sergio Aguero to spearhead his attack. The 32-year-old Argentine has spent large chunks of this season injured and is also out of contract in the summer.
As well as Haaland, Man City have been linked a move for Lionel Messi should he decide to leave Barcelona in the summer, and are also reportedly preparing a £90m bid for Tottenham’s Harry Kane.
The animosity between Guardiola and Raiola is so great that in 2018 the agent gave an extraordinary interview in which he called the Man City manager a ‘zero’ of a person.
But now the pair may have to deal with each other once again with City’s pursuit of Haaland, who Raiola recently described as the Lewis Hamilton of football. The super agent also revealed that four Premier League clubs would be of interest to the 20-year-old goal machine.
Haaland, currently at Borussia Dortmund, is one of the hottest prospects in world football
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