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Pep Guardiola reveals “easy” route to signing Erling Haaland amid Real Madrid interest

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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has revealed the “easy” route Real Madrid and other potential suitors must take if they wish to sign Erling Haaland in future.

The latest comments from the Catalan coach come in a week when the club’s star forward has been intensely linked with a move to Real Madrid, but as a result of supposed unhappiness with the lifestyle and climate in Manchester.

A speculative report from Spain suggested that the grey and rainy weather of the north-west city has led to Haaland falling unhappy, and is the reason behind his visits to Marbella on a frequent basis.

Such reports led to the media posing a series of questions to Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola this week, with Erling Haaland also returning to full fitness and some believing that he could also be in line for a start on Monday night.

Speaking during part two of his pre-Brentford press conference on Friday afternoon, Pep Guardiola insisted that he simply has no knowledge of any communication between Manchester City and Erling Haaland or his representatives over a new contract.

“I don’t know,” Guardiola responded when quizzed on potential negotiations over a new and improved deal, before responding with a blunt, “No” to further pressing on whether he has no knowledge of such a situation.

“I don’t know. I’m not involved in that. Always the player decides, the club decides, he wants to stay or he wants to leave. I don’t have info,” Guardiola continued. “He arrived last season, the impact was incredible, the beginning of this season, the numbers were really good too, he had two months injured.

“What will happen in the future? Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t know. We are happy to have him, hopefully he’s happy too to be with us, that is what we know, and the rest, I don’t know. We cannot control what the people say, so it’s normal.”

Guardiola was further questioned on whether he would personally encourage his Manchester City colleagues to intensify their hunt of a new and improved contract for Erling Haaland, given the Norwegian’s importance to the first-team squad.

“What do you think? That we don’t want Erling (Haaland) to stay here for one decade?! Honestly… So, we want him! Yes, or yes, for a long, long time at this club, for a long time,” the City boss responded. “We are in love with him, we want him. But, I don’t know!”

“From one report, from one journalist, or one Twitter account, or one Instagram account, do you think we’re going to change something about what’s going to happen? So today one guy on Twitter makes a comment, ‘Oh that is a big news in the worldwide because it’s going to happen’. It’s not going to happen.”

Guardiola continued by explaining the “easy” route potential suitors must take in order to sign the club’s number nine, “It’s going to happen when Erling decides to extend the contract or not, or the club decides to extend the contract or not, when you have potential offers for him or not. If someone wants Erling, it’s easy! Phone, call Man City, and ask.

“It’s what we do when we want to sign someone. It’s not more complicated than that. The rest, OK it’s yeah… If you have to comment on every news when it’s coming from external, you’d never finish the press conference.”

Manchester City take on Brentford in a rare Monday night clash in the south of country, hoping to capitalise on the dropping of points in the Arsenal against Liverpool clash being played out on Sunday evening.

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