May 09, (THEWILL) – Manchester City did not only win the race to sign Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland, with a £63 million transfer fee anticipated to be confirmed in the coming days, they have also made him one of the club’s highest earners.
After defeating Real Madrid to recruit Europe’s most prolific teenage striker, City are preparing to activate the release clause in Haaland’s contract.
Personal terms have reportedly been agreed upon at the Etihad for the 21-year-old to join the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish on a weekly salary of £300,000. City has decided to put Haaland in the same wage category as their highest wage earners, despite his age and relative inexperience.
The reigning Premier League winners notified Dortmund of their intention to trigger Haaland’s release clause after he chose City over Real and personal conditions were agreed. After failing to sign Tottenham striker Harry Kane last summer, City chose to pursue Haaland, with Spurs demanding roughly £140 million for the England captain.
Pep Guardiola’s style of play swayed Haaland and his father, former City and Leeds midfielder Alf-Inge, who weighed all of his alternatives for the next chapter of his incredible career.
They believed Guardiola’s style not only fit Haaland’s own style of play, but also that the club represented his best opportunity of long-term success in what will arguably be his most productive years.
With Real’s Karim Benzema still in top form at 34, Haaland and his team felt City was the best option, with the young forward guaranteed a regular starting spot under Pep Guardiola.
Haaland, who was born in Leeds, started his career with Norwegian clubs Bryne and Molde before spending a year in Austria with Red Bull Salzburg before joining Dortmund in January 2020. Haaland scored 85 goals in 88 games for Dortmund and had his selection of Europe’s finest teams for his next move, but he chose City, where he would spearhead the assault.
Guardiola, who stated the entire world is against City and wants Liverpool to win the title after his side returned to the top of the table, will be hoping Haaland can give his side the edge over Liverpool next season.
After City surged three points clear at the top with a 5-0 win against Newcastle, Guardiola stated his side must not only beat Liverpool to win the title, but also the world’s favouritism towards them. And the City manager could not help but make a joke at Liverpool’s lone league triumph in the last three decades.
“Everyone in this country supports Liverpool, the media and everyone, of course, because Liverpool has an incredible history behind in European competition,” Guardiola said:
“Not in the Premier League, because they’ve won one in 30 years – but it’s not a problem at all. The situation is what it is. Liverpool, alongside Manchester United, are the most famous team, with what they have done in history in terms of titles, legacy, history, drama – for many, many things.
“But we are, for the last 10, 11, 12 years, coming here. I know we’re sometimes uncomfortable, but I don’t care. The people want Liverpool to win more than us. It’s not an issue. It’s normal.
“Maybe they have more supporters all around the world and in England maybe more support Liverpool than us. But the question is today. Before the start of the game, the people were cheering and supporting us – they know that even being out of the Champions League, we can rely on those players.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
