Pep Guardiola reacts to a possible €200 million Erling Haaland’s move to the La Liga.
Erling Haaland reportedly has a specific release clause built into his contract with Manchester City, which means that clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid may have a chance to recruit him in the summer of 2024.
The 22-year-old Norwegian hitman is destroying defenses throughout Europe and England since joining the Premier League winners only this past summer. Haaland has already scored as much as 19 goals across all competitions in just 12 games.
His ability to score goals was never in question, but people were astonished by how quickly he adjusted to life at a new club.
The former star of Borussia Dortmund committed to Man City in a deal that lasts through the summer of 2027. It had been rumored that the agreement contains a €200 million release clause that clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid can choose to exercise in 2024.
Pep Guardiola, the manager, has since denied those allegations, calling them all unfounded rumors.
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The Catalan head coach said the following after Manchester City’s victory over FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League:
“That isn’t true. No team, including Real Madrid, has a release clause for him. What can I say except that’s not true? We will make an effort to make him happy since I have a gut feeling he is ecstatic to be here. You cannot worry about the rumors; instead, we must focus on our own controllable issues.
Haaland was frequently mentioned in connection with Barcelona before moving to Manchester City. Although the financials of the transaction meant that the Catalans were out of the running, there had been discussions with his camp regarding a potential move.
Instead, Robert Lewandowski, who has had a successful start to life in Catalonia, was ultimately signed by Barça. The Polish international, though, will shortly enter the latter stages of his career at age 34. And it would have made sense for the club to replace him in a few years with someone like Haaland.
But as things stand, it appears that his contract does not contain the widely publicized release provision for €200 million.
