Erling Haaland has not even pulled on a Manchester City shirt in a competitive game yet and already the reigning Premier League champions are being made to sweat over a £150m release clause written into his contract.
City confirmed his arrival at the Etihad Stadium earlier this summer having bat away the serious competition to secure the striker’s signature for a fee of £51m. Ahead of his much-anticipated debut for the club, excitement has certainly been building with his goalscoring displays with German giants Borussia Dortmund catching the eye of supporters and pundits alike.
Haaland is expected to continue those performances at the Etihad with support from the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden and many more. It is certainly a tantalising prospect but one that Pep Guardiola might not be able to call upon for very long at all.
According to Spanish outlet Marca, a release clause of £172m becomes active in the summer of 2024 - just two years into the five year deal he originally signed at the Etihad Stadium, whilst that will fall to just £150m over the following year, potentially opening the door to parties interested in making a move.
Of course, a lot depends on that release clause being paid. First and foremost, Haaland would have to be a success as a Manchester City player - certainly enough to catch the eye of any interested parties.
Meanwhile, those interested clubs would likely have to be wealthy. Should the release clause be paid then that would make Haaland one of the most expensive players in football history - only Neymar and Kylian Mbappe's respective moves to Paris Saint-Germain eclipsing that figure.
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Haaland would also more than likely have to want to move on and at this point that seems unlikely after the 21-year-old hailed his recent switch to the Etihad Stadium.
He said: “This is a proud day for me and my family. I have always watched City and have loved doing so in recent seasons. You can’t help but admire their style of play, it’s exciting and they create a lot of chances, which is perfect for a player like me.
“There are so many world-class players in this squad and Pep is one of the greatest managers of all time, so I believe I am in the right place to fulfil my ambitions.
“I want to score goals, win trophies and improve as a footballer and I am confident I can do that here. This is a great move for me and I can’t wait to get started in pre-season.”
Having plundered another 29 goals in all competitions for Borussia Dortmund last season, Haaland could be in competitive action for the first time as a City player in the Community Shield clash with Liverpool, whilst his first Premier League outing is likely to come a week later against West Ham at the London Stadium.
