By Ayo Jones
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland would “sign for [Real] Madrid tomorrow” if he could and can do so for a relatively low-ball fee of $109.5 million (€100 million) if Los Blancos pay that amount of money to trigger his release clause, according to AS.
The Norwegian joined the Premier League giants in the summer of 2022 when they similarly paid the required $65.6 million (€60 million) to get him out of his Borussia Dortmund contract.
What followed was a sensational first term in Manchester, where Haaland shattered a number of goalscoring records and helped Pep Guardiola’s men win the treble.
This haul included a maiden Champions League crown for player and club, with City eliminating holders Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
As things stand, both European giants are still in the running to lift the big-eared trophy in 2023/2024 and could meet again late on in the knockout phase.
Yet Madrid is already looking to strengthen its squad for their following campaign irrespective of how they get on under recently-renewed head coach Carlo Ancelotti.
According to Footmercato, president Florentino Perez has already offered Kylian Mbappe a proposal which the Frenchman set to be a free agent at Paris Saint-Germain after June 30 accepted in the past few days.
With the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo era gradually fizzling out, Mbappe is considered the next generation’s lead star alongside Haaland.
By the Spanish press and outlets such as AS, though, Haaland is being touted as a possible ‘Plan B’ for Madrid if both men can’t be signed.
AS reports that Madrid has received “good news” as per Haaland’s release clause, which was previously believed to be $219 million (€200 million).
According to information the newspaper has obtained, this fee only applies to Premier League clubs with the value halved to a much more affordable $109 million (€100 million) for any potential suitor located outside the British Isles.
Landing both Mbappe and Haaland in the same summer might be a push from a financial perspective, and Madrid also has to consider the arrival of Brazilian teen sensation Endrick from Palmeiras in July.
If it were down to Haaland, though, he would reportedly “sign for Madrid tomorrow” and knows that he has the doors to the Bernabeu “open in the near future”.
His potential signing could be postponed until 2025, and possibly see Madrid return to a Galactico age of yesteryear by boasting mercurial talents such as Mbappe, Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr among others in the same outfit.