Eyes from around the footballing world are currently focused on Manchester and Dortmund as what is set to be the biggest transfer saga of the year grips attentions.
It has been reported that Erling Haaland is about to sign a deal to join Premier League leaders Manchester City as they look to bolster their striking options. Many pundits believe the Norwegian's addition to their already superstar squad could lead to City dominating the title race next season.
City are believed to have triggered a £63million release clause which is part of his contract with his current club Borussia Dortmund. German media reports that the club have said Haaland has been allowed time off to deal with "personal matters".
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Over the past few seasons, the 21-year-old has become the hottest prospect in football, leading to much speculation about his future. Pep Guardiola's side have been among the front runners to bag the striker and it now appears this is going to become a reality.
However, what many people will not realise is that Haaland has very local links to Yorkshire, including the fact he was born in Leeds. At the time of his birth, July 21, 2000, Haaland's dad Alf-Inge was a star player in the Whites' midfield.
Not long after he was born, Haaland's dad transferred to Man City for £2.5million. Sadly, his career was effectively finished during his three-year spell at the club after a horrific tackle by Manchester United captain Roy Keane, who later admitted in his autobiography that the incident was pre-meditated following criticism Alf-Inge had given the Irish international a few years earlier.
Following this, Haaland's family moved back to Norway. During his childhood there, Haaland played a number of sports such as football and golf.
His professional football career started at Byrne, the team representing the town where he grew up. His talents were soon spotted by Molde, a team in the Norwegian top flight, who signed the striker.
After scoring 20 goals for Molde, Haaland moved abroad to join Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. During his time there, he scored an incredible 29 goals in 27 matches.
This led to him being touted as a future superstar of the game and an eventual transfer to Dortmund. His move to a more high-profile league has not stifled Haaland's goalscoring talents with 85 goals in 88 matches for the Bundesliga side.
He has also proved to be a prolific goalscorer for the Norwegian national team with 15 in 17 games. However, Haaland has been unable to help Norway qualify for their first major tournament since 2000 with the team missing out on Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.
It is reported that the deal which could see Haaland join City will make him one of the club's highest-paid players. Some claims state he will earn as much as £500,000 a week.
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