There’s little doubt that Erling Haaland has been the signing of the season, and there’s more good news for Manchester City after it emerged his release clause is no longer valid thanks to Pep Guardiola.
The Norwegian still can’t stop scoring, with 28 already in the Premier League per BBC Sport, and Barcelona’s decision to turn him down and go with Martin Braithwaite (per Forbes) must go down as one of the worst in club history.
As Goal note, there was a reported €200m release clause in place at City for the player, evidencing just how badly Barca got it wrong.
In any event, Haaland would appear to be going nowhere now until at least 2027 when his contract runs out.
That’s because, as Goal report, with Pep Guardiola having recently renewed his contract, the release clause that was in place for Haaland is no longer valid.
That effectively means that the Citizens don’t have to sell him unless they want to, the player couldn’t engineer his own move away, and the club could name their price were they ever minded to cash in.
Haaland’s rise to the top of the European game shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, and his five goals in the Champions League in midweek against RB Leipzig should serve as a warning to top clubs across the continent.
At just 22 years of age, it’s a frightening prospect to imagine just how great he will become.