Man City ‘to pull off Erling Haaland deal’ as secret agreement emerges

Premier League title race: Man City maintain slender lead

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Erling Haaland is expected to opt to join Manchester City at the end of the season. The Norwegian has a £63million release clause in his contract that becomes active in the summer, and City are now front of the queue to activate it.

Pep Guardiola has been very vocal in his desire to sign a striker over the past 12 months.

The Spaniard has been forced to play midfielders, such as Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva, as makeshift false nines, though it hasn’t hindered their chances of retaining the Premier League title.

City attempted to sign Tottenham forward Harry Kane last summer, but they were unable to meet Daniel Levy’s asking price for the England captain having already splashed £100m on Jack Grealish.

However, that may have been a blessing in disguise for Guardiola as his side are now expected to sign Borussia Dortmund forward Haaland in the summer, according to the Daily Mail.

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They report that the 21-year-old is expected to choose to make the move to the Etihad Stadium outfit despite interest from Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

The former Salzburg star is thought to have agreed personal terms with City and the ‘framework of the transfer’ is ready to be signed off by the higher powers at the club.

Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid have also been linked with Haaland, though their pursuits are now expected to be unsuccessful.

Haaland has scored 16 goals in 14 appearances in the Bundesliga so far this season and many would deem City an unstoppable force in all competitions if they are able to complete the deal.

The deal is expected to cost almost £100m, with Haaland’s agent Mino Raiola set to earn a substantial amount from orchestrating the move.

Of course, that fee is well within the grasp of City and, presumably, the funds from their successes this season could be used to fund the move.

Haaland has impressed with his pace and power since breaking onto the footballing scene at Molde, scoring 149 career goals in 190 appearances overall and showing the potential to develop into one of the best in the world.

With Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo coming to the backend of their careers, Haaland and PSG’s Kylian Mbappe are expected to be the heirs to their thrones and battle it out for Ballon d’Ors for many years to come.

Speaking earlier this season about playing without an out and out striker, Guardiola said: “I think the club needs a striker, definitely.

“You say we play fantastically well without a striker because we are winning. When we are not winning, you say we need a striker.

“(You say) ‘how do these guys play without a striker? In the Premier League, you have to play with a striker’.

“So, we need a striker, I think the club is going to try.”

It remains to be seen whether City are able to follow through with their deal or if Haaland will have a change of heart between now and the end of the season.

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