10 October 2023 , 10:52
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Manchester City are seeking to remove Erling Haaland’s release clause from his contract amid ongoing interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Haaland's dad, former City midfielder Alf-Inge, said last year the forward only plans to stay at the Etihad for "for three or four years at the most" as he "wants to prove his abilities in all leagues". The player's agent, Rafaela Pimenta, has also previously described Madrid as a "dreamland" for players.
Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl previously admitted that Haaland, through no fault of his own, became somewhat of a "dressing room burden" due to constant speculation. Earlier this year, it was reported that Haaland’s transfer clause in his contract would not kick in until Pep Guardiola’s contract expired in 2025.
Guardiola, whose previous deal was due to expire at the end of last season, put pen to paper on a two-year contract extension in November last year. That ensures that the Catalan will remain in the City hot seat through to the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
It has emerged that the extension of Guardiola’s stay in Manchester is tied into the future of Haaland, as a key element of the Norwegian striker’s contract was dependent upon the renewal of the coach.
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Haaland signed a five-year deal with City in 2022. However, this had a large caveat that a release clause worth €200million (£175.5m) would come into force before the halfway point of that contract – with the end of the current season (2023/24) reported by The Athletic to be the stage at which it would become active.
However, that appeared to change with the renewal of Guardiola’s contract during the last campaign. A report on Catalunya Radio which was detailed by Spanish outlet Marca earlier this year, claims that Haaland’s release clause would no longer kick-in until 2025 – when Guardiola was due to leave.
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There has been uncertainty over the nature of Haaland's release clause at Man City (Getty Images)It has now been detailed in Gazzetta dello Sport that City remain wary that this clause will become active and will seek to remove it from Haaland’s contract entirely. They outline that Real Madrid and Barcelona retain an active interest in signing the Norwegian, with City wary of that possibility becoming a reality in the coming transfer windows.
The 23-year-old scored a remarkable 52 goals in his debut campaign in Manchester – winning the treble with Guardiola’s side – and has bagged eight goals so far this term, although his former sporting director at Dortmund warned that uncertainty over the striker’s future could damage the club.
Kehl previously told German publication Sport Bild: “As much as we always loved Haaland and he was successful with us, in the end, he became a burden on the dressing room, the club and the whole environment.
"He had become the subject of every conversation. Outside the club, almost everything was exclusively focused on him. In the end, the timing of the transfer was right for both parties. And we are all happy for Erling that he continues to be so successful."