Manchester City are apparently hoping that their pursuit of a historic triple will persuade Erling Braut Haaland to sign a contract extension at the Etihad Stadium.
Since joining the Citizens from Borussia Dortmund for £51 million last summer, the Norwegian striker has had a fantastic record-breaking debut season.
After scoring a Premier League record 36 goals in just 35 appearances in the 2022-23 season, Haaland became the first player in history to win both the Player and Young Player of the Season accolades.
The 22-year-old has scored 52 goals in 52 outings for Manchester City in all competitions, with his strikes helping Pep Guardiola’s side win the Premier League and FA Cup.
Haaland failed to score in City’s 2-1 FA Cup final victory over rivals Manchester United last weekend, but he will be looking to assist City end their wait for Champions League glory when they face Inter Milan in the final next Saturday in Istanbul.
Haaland is believed to have signed a five-year contract extension until June 2027, worth £400,000 per week, when he joined Man City last summer, and thus has four years left on his current term.
According to The Telegraph, the Citizens are eager to tie down their No.9 to new terms in order to make it more difficult for long-term admirers Real Madrid to launch a bid for the striker.
Los Blancos were linked with Haaland before he decided to join Manchester City, and Carlo Ancelotti’s side are now looking for a new center-forward after it was announced that club legend Karim Benzema will leave the club when his contract expires this summer.
Haaland on the verge of extending the contract
Man City have previously granted new contracts to first-team players shortly after their arrival as a reward for their contributions to the club, with World Cup winner Julian Alvarez the most recent to sign new terms in March.
Guardiola’s team may also try to remove or boost the buyout clause in Haaland’s contract, despite the fact that the player’s agent Rafaela Pimenta recently stated that the value of the clause cannot be published.
When asked by Mundo Deportivo if Haaland’s clause is contingent on Guardiola remaining at Man City, Pimenta replied:
“I have nothing to clarify. The mystery of this story is nice because nobody knows where it is, like a treasure chest. It’s more beautiful and, as a lawyer, I can’t reveal the details of contracts.”
Pimenta added:
“[Haaland can go] wherever he wants. He is a player that has never been seen before.”
“For me, his quality in everything and his ability to evolve are very impressive. He is capable of adapting quickly to a new club, new city, new coach… it’s as if he has always been there. That gives you a lot of peace of mind and allows you to move forward.”
“He is very calm in his professional and personal life, he has the quality. Today, he is in the right place, with the right team and the right coach.”
“In Brazil, we say that the sky is the limit. I think he is going to break all the records.”
Man City are also interested in extending captain Ilkay Gundogan’s contract, which expires at the end of this month.
For more Sports updates please follow us on Twitter
