Manchester City want to renew Erling Haaland contract to stave off Real Madrid interest | OneFootball

It has been only a few months since Erling Haaland signed for Manchester City, but the Premier League champions are already planning to hand him a new contract to stave off interest from Real Madrid.

This claim comes from SPORT, who state that Pep Guardiola’s side want to ensure that the Norwegian international continues at the Etihad for a long time, especially with Real Madrid’s continued links with a future move for the striker.

Haaland was one of the most in-demand commodities in the transfer market this past summer. But Man City prevailed in the race to sign him from Borussia Dortmund and are already reaping the benefits of the move.

In just 11 matches in all competitions, Haaland has already scored 17 goals for the Citizens, including three hat-tricks in the Premier League, the latest of which came in the Manchester derby as City thrashed United 6-3.

Guardiola’s team are extremely pleased with the impact of the 22-year-old, with the striker even exceeding expectations, given as many expected him to go through a period of adjustment and adaptation at his new club.

Haaland’s current contract with Manchester City runs until the summer of 2027 but it has been reported that a release clause worth €180 million will become active in 2024, at which point Real Madrid intend to strike.

However, in order to avoid that scenario, the Premier League champions wish to negotiate a new contract with Haaland so that they can keep him at the club beyond 2027. At the same time, they also hope to remove the release clause that exists in his current deal.

Such a move would make it extremely difficult for Real Madrid to make a move for Haaland in two years’ time when they were planning to replace current ace goalscorer and club captain Karim Benzema.