Manchester City beat Real Madrid, PSG to sign top striker Erling Haaland

APD NEWS

text

Premier League giants Manchester City have held off competition from Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and several other European powerhouses by signing Borussia Dortmund talisman Erling Haaland, according to several media outlets.

The 21-year-old Norwegian striker, who has netted 92 league goals in 121 appearances for Molde, Red Bull Salzburg and Dortmund, is expected to pen a five-year contract with a basic salary of around 350,000 pounds ($431,684) a week with considerable bonuses.

Sky Germany claimed that personal terms between the player and City have been agreed, and the English champions will soon activate Haaland's 63 million pound release clause. The clause stipulates Haaland's transfer fee will have to be paid in one payment, unlike many of the other top transfers that happen in several instalments.

Italian journalists Fabrizio Romano, who has a brilliant track record of reporting transfer news, revealed that Haaland passed his City medical at the Erasmus Hospital in Brussels, Belgium on Monday and the deal will be finalized in the coming days.

Dortmund indirectly confirmed Haaland's imminent departure by releasing a statement, saying that the club allowed their top striker to skip training on Monday and to "take care of his personal matters."

As the youngest player to reach 20 Champions League goals, Haaland is a proven scorer and one of the most promising talents of his generation. The signing of the prodigy could be another boost to Pep Guardiola's side, who had already taken advantage of Liverpool's stumble and moved a step closer to retaining their league crown this season.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who last month signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2026, believes the Haaland deal will "set new levels" in the transfer market.

"I signed a new contract knowing that City would not stop developing," he told Sky Sports when asked about Haaland's potential arrival. "It's not about City to define if we can be happy or not, it's about us and what we can make of it."

"If Erling Haaland goes there, it will not weaken them, definitely not. I think there's enough spoken about this transfer. I know there is a lot of talk out there about money, but this transfer will set new levels, let me say it like this."

City took advantage of Liverpool's stumble in the Premier League title race as the champions moved a step closer to retaining their crown with a 5-0 demolition of Newcastle on Sunday.

(CGTN)