Haaland leaving? ‘Burnt’ Euro giants hatch ‘plan B’ to steal Man City star; transfer ‘deadline’ surfaces

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·1 January 2024

Haaland leaving? ‘Burnt’ Euro giants hatch ‘plan B’ to steal Man City star; transfer ‘deadline’ surfaces

Erling Haaland in action for Manchester City.

According to reports in Spain, La Liga giants Real Madrid have a ‘plan’ in place to sign Erling Haaland from Premier League champions Manchester City.

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Haaland has been sensational for Man City since signing for the Premier League side from Borussia Dortmund before the 2022/23 campaign for around £51m.

After scoring 52 goals in his 53 appearances for Man City across all competitions during his debut season, Haaland has been impacted by injuries this season but still has 19 goals in 22 matches.

The Norway international is under contract at the Etihad until 2027 and while Man City will want to keep him beyond the end of his current deal, he will likely have a spell at Real Madrid at some point in his career.

Last year, Haaland’s agent – Rafaela Pimenta – admitted Real Madrid is a “dreamland for the players”.

“There is the Premier League, and there is Real Madrid, and Real Madrid has something of its own that makes it the dreamland for the players. Madrid keeps this magic going. It doesn’t have the league competition but it does have the Champions League,” Pimenta said.

She added: “In my agency, we try to make a plan. We have to make a plan. We need to have a goal. Maybe we won’t achieve it but if we don’t know where we’re going, for sure we don’t get there.”

and Spanish outlet AS are now reporting that they are set to ‘put the wheels in motion to sign Kylian Mbappe’ from PSG now he’s in the final six months of his contract but the Man City standout is their ‘plan B’.

Mbappe is now free to talk to other clubs and can come to a pre-contract agreement with Real Madrid ahead of a potential free transfer in the summer.

But it is noted that the ‘clock is ticking’ for Mbappe as Real Madrid have been ‘burnt by the Frenchman before and have no intention of being burnt again’.

Therefore, they ‘will set a deadline of 15 January for him to decide’ whether to join and if a move ‘hasn’t been agreed’ by then, they will ‘switch to plan B (Haaland)’. The report adds.

‘Would Real Madrid be able to stick to their guns if Mbappé refused to make a decision on his future until the summer? It remains to be seen, but the LaLiga giants are adamant the potential move will be done on their terms. ‘Waiting another six months would lead to uncertainty over what may or may not happen, which is precisely what the club is keen to avoid. They want to have their business done early and eliminate the risk of being messed around by transfer targets. As it’s stands, it’s no later than 15 January.’

While it’s crazy to think Haaland could be a club’s ‘plan B’, Mbappe has been Real Madrid’s top target for years and the prospect of landing him on a free transfer this year will be difficult to ignore.

By contrast, it would be a far more expensive operation to land Haaland so Man City *should* be able to enjoy him for a year or two more at least.