Manchester City announced on Tuesday that an agreement has been reached to sign Borussia Dortmund striker, and generational talent, Erling Haaland after activating the 21-year-old striker’s much-discussed release clause.
“The transfer remains subject to the Club finalizing terms with the player,” Man City confirmed in a brief statement.
[ MORE: Rodri, Pep react to rebound from UCL exit ]
Haaland has an $80-million release clause — seemingly highway robbery for a prospect established star of his caliber — and has therefore been linked to any club with money, but City always seemed likely to tug at his heart strings. His father, Alfie Haaland, played for Nottingham Forest, Leeds, and Man City between 1993-2003.
Manchester City can confirm that we have reached an agreement in principle with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of striker Erling Haaland to the Club on 1st July 2022.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 10, 2022
The transfer remains subject to the Club finalising terms with the player.
The powerful young center forward has averaged nearly a goal per game for Dortmund, scoring 85 times with 23 assists in 88 appearances.
Erling Haaland has also scored in his last five caps for Norway to give him 15 goals and two assists in 17 senior appearances.
How will this work at Manchester City?
Assuming the report comes true -- and there’s no reason to doubt it considering Man City’s flop at the UCL semifinal hurdle -- Haaland may take some time to full learn Pep Guardiola’s system.
But there’s absolutely zero thought that he won’t score a ton of goals. Perhaps he won’t hit his goal-a-game numbers from Dortmund, though that’s not out of the question given his size and skill, but he’s going to at least do the numbers that Gabriel Jesus and Co. have produced under Guardiola.
Erling Haaland has thrived at every next step, from Molde to Salzburg to Norway and Dortmund, and the Premier League might be a step-up on a weekly basis but it’s not as a big a jump as the Austrian Bundesliga to the German Bundesliga.
Some will point to the stop-start careers of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz in moving to the PL from Germany at a similar age, but Haaland is on another level even from them and, again, is simply a fully-formed physical marvel in the Zlatan Ibrahimovic mold.
Expect fireworks.
Erling Haaland to Manchester City, here we go! Haaland has passed medical tests as new Man City player today, he’s back in Dortmund. It will be OFFICIAL this week 🚨🔵 #MCFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 9, 2022
Man City told BVB board that they will activate release clause [closer to €60m than €75m] in few hours. pic.twitter.com/heYobi8S1Y