Real Madrid unearth crucial contract details of Manchester City superstar – option to sign player in 2024 remains

La Liga giants Real Madrid are claimed to have unearthed the all-important contractual details of Erling Haaland at Manchester City as they mull over a possible approach.

While the Norway international may only have made the switch to the reigning Premier League champions in the summer of 2022, the 23-year-old has been consistently linked with his next steps in football, amid rumours of a desire to succeed in multiple European leagues.

Speaking during an interview in September 2022, the player’s father and former Manchester City player Alf-Inge Haaland explained, “I think Erling wants to test out his capabilities in every league.

He continued, “Then he can stay in every league for three to four years maximum. He could have 2½ years in Germany, 2½ in England, and then in Spain, Italy, France, right? *laughs*. We do not know if it will be like that, but I think he would like to test his abilities in the big leagues.”

Now, in a fresh report emerging from the continent this week, those potential next steps in the European game have been detailed, with suggestions of a continued interest from Real Madrid, who have been long-term admirers of the striker.

According to the information of Spanish newspaper AS, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness this week, members of Real Madrid’s board believe it is best to chase Erling Haaland over Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé in the summer of 2024.

In remarkable claims by the report from Spain, it is suggested that Los Blancos have uncovered details of a clause in Erling Haaland’s Manchester City contract, with a fee said to be in excess of €200 million for 2024 and decreasing year on year.

However, any potential deal involving Erling Haaland and Real Madrid would depend ‘exclusively on Madrid being able to convince him’, particularly on their sporting project due to an ability to match the striker’s current Etihad Stadium deal.

Fortunately for Manchester City and supporters of the recently crowned Treble winners, it is further reported that any move away from the Etihad Stadium before 2025 ‘seems complicated’, with Haaland himself viewing that year as the ‘time to leave’ the club – coinciding with the current expiry of Pep Guardiola’s contract.

Manchester City beat Real Madrid to the signature of Erling Haaland back in 2022, after all of Europe’s biggest hitters were strongly interested in the services of the former Borussia Dortmund front-man.

That successful pursuit of Haaland accompanied the signing of Julian Alvarez from River Plate in Argentina, as the two players have gone on to forge a hugely successful partnership in attack for the reigning Premier League champions.

Haaland is currently ruled out of action through injury for Manchester City, with the Ballon d’Or runner-up currently recovering from a stress injury in his foot that has put his availability for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup into doubt.