Erling Haaland will be coming home.
The Norwegian striker’s future, one of world football’s rising stars, is set to be finalized this week and is expected to leave Borussia Dortmund to join Manchester City as the English club’s delayed replacement for Sergio Aguero. is in the form.
Neither City nor Dortmund are officially commenting on a possible transfer, but it is a matter of football, even the manager of Liverpool – City’s big rivals in the Premier League – weighs in.
“This transfer will set new levels, let me say it this way,” Jurgen Klopp told British broadcaster Sky Sports of Hollande joining City.
It is widely being reported that the 75 million euro ($79 million) release clause in Haaland’s contract with Dortmund will be activated this week. Haaland could bid farewell to Dortmund fans in the team’s last game of the season at home to Hertha Berlin on Saturday.
Sebastian Kehl, who took over as Dortmund’s sporting director, told Sport1 on Sunday that there should be “clarity next week” about Haaland’s future, although he did not specifically mention City.
The Belgian newspaper Nieuwsblad reported on Monday that Haaland completed his medical examination in Brussels.
Haaland, 21, was born in England – in Leeds, a short drive from Manchester in the north of the country – while his father, Alf-Inge, was playing for City in the Premier League.
As a child, Erling Haaland was pictured wearing the City jersey.
With Kylian Mbappe, Hollande is leading a new generation of stars ready to take over as football’s marquee player from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He could be the headline signing that takes City from regular winner of home trophies to the standout team in Europe. Pep Guardiola’s team has failed to win the Champions League despite the huge expense of the club’s Abu Dhabi ownership.
City have played without an out-and-out striker this season after the departure of its record scorer, Aguero, 10 years later at the end of the 2020-21 campaign. The lack of a natural goalscorer in the team has been visible in some of the big games this season, especially when Real Madrid eliminated him in the Champions League semi-final last week.
City tried to sign Tottenham striker Harry Kane last season and when he didn’t, Portugal forward considered bidding for Cristiano Ronaldo before sealing a return to Manchester United.
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