Real Madrid's Negotiations With Haaland

 

Two years ago Real Madrid were involved in the races for both Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, ending up with neither. With Mbappe top of the agenda again, Los Blancos look as if they will turn to Erling Haaland if their efforts to sign the Frenchman fail again

Amid a flurry of conflicting reports on the future of Mbappe, Diario AS maintain that he has a further week to accept Real Madrid’s offer before they turn their attentions elsewhere. Elsewhere means Haaland, with plenty of speculation over whether he is a realistic prospect. Starring at the top of the pitch for Pep Guardiola, they have little need or intention to sell.

The price tag given to him has always been €200m and upwards, but the Madrid daily reference that agent Rafaela Pimienta has been careful to keep the door open to a move for Haaland -“Our clients know that we always leave them clear options to choose their future themselves.”

Given those statements, the reality of his situation is that the €200m price tag would be for Premier League rivals, but were the Norwegian to move abroad, then his price would be ‘closer to €100m than €200m’

That is considered an affordable price by Real Madrid, and Haaland is interested in making the move too. Whether Los Blancos go after him this summer will likely depend on Mbappe, but the door will be kept open to a move down the line by both Madrid and Haaland.

Manchester City have always been clear that they will not retain players that do not want to be there, although there are some players they will fight harder for than others. Few players at the top of their game have left the club for mammoth fees. Yet with Haaland, who has previously declared an ambition to play in multiple leagues, the chances of him remaining there for a decade seem slim. One thing is clear – Real Madrid want a Galactico signing up front this summer.

Personal information:

Erling Braut Haaland (born 21 July 2000) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester City and the Norway national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is known for his speed, strength, positioning, and finishing inside the box. In his debut Premier League season, Haaland broke the record for the most goals scored by a player in a single season, with 36.

Team information:

First season in England

On 11 April, Haaland scored the third goal of City's 3–0 Champions League win against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, his 45th goal of the season overall. This broke the previous record of 44 goals across all competitions in a season by a Premier League player held by Ruud van Nistelrooy and Mohamed Salah.[101] Haaland registered two assists and a goal in his side's 4–1 home victory against league leaders Arsenal on 26 April, closing the gap between them and City in the table to just two points while the latter still had two games in hand.[102] He would then score his 50th goal of the campaign across all competitions on 30 April against Fulham.[103] His six goals and two assists during April saw him win the league's Player of the Month for a second time.[104]

On 3 May, in City's return fixture against West Ham, Haaland scored his 35th league goal of the campaign, surpassing Shearer and Andy Cole's joint record for the most goals scored in a single Premier League season.[6] A week later, he was named FWA Footballer of the Year.[105] He won by a record margin, earning 82% of the vote ahead of Arsenal's Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard and becoming only the fourth player to claim the award in their debut season.[106][107] He would also go on to be voted PFA Players' Player of the Year by his colleagues in August.[108] Haaland won his first trophy with Manchester City after they clinched the 2022–23 Premier League title on 20 May.[109] By assisting Phil Foden's goal in a draw against Brighton & Hove Albion on 24 May, he reached 44 combined league goals and assists, thereby equaling Thierry Henry's record for most total goal contributions in a 38-game Premier League season.[110] Haaland's debut season in England earned him the Premier League Golden Boot, after finishing as the league's top goalscorer, and the European Golden Shoe, given to the top domestic scorer in Europe.[111] With 36 goals in 35 appearances, he set the new record for highest number of goals scored in a Premier League season.[112]

Haaland played the entirety of City's FA Cup final victory over Manchester United on 3 June, securing his second title with the club.[113] He then played another 90 minutes in the following week's Champions League final against Inter Milan. Despite Haaland struggling to have a large impact on the match,[114] City would win 1–0 to earn a maiden Champions League title and achieve only the second-ever continental treble by an English side.[115] With 12 goals, Haaland finished as the top scorer of the Champions League season for a second time,[116] joining Lionel Messi as the only players to accomplish this feat twice before turning 23.[117] Haaland would be subsequently named the UEFA Men's Player of the Year in August, ahead of Messi and Manchester City teammate Kevin De Bruyne.[118][119]

2023–24: Second season in England

Manchester City began their new Premier League campaign on 11 August 2023, with Haaland scoring a brace in a 3–0 away win against newly promoted team Burnley.[120] Just days later, Haaland would win his first trophy of the season following City's victory over Europa League winners Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup; although not scoring during the match, he did convert the first penalty in the shoot-out following the end of regulation.[121] On 29 August, Haaland was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year,[122] having earlier been included in the PFA Team of the Year for the Premier League.[123]

After registering a seventh club hat-trick plus an assist against Fulham on 2 September, Haaland became the fastest ever player to achieve 50 Premier League goal contributions; with just 39 appearances in the competition, he eclipsed Andy Cole's previous record by four matches.[124] On 25 October, Haaland scored his first two Champions League goals of the season in a 3–1 win at Young Boys. On 29 October, he recorded two goals and one assist in a 3–0 Manchester derby win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.[125] The following day, he was presented with the Gerd Müller Trophy at the 2023 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony.[126] On 25 November, Haaland became the fastest player to score 50 Premier League goals in a 1–1 draw with Liverpool; with just 48 appearances, he comfortably beat the previous record of 65 matches by Andy Cole.[127]