Erling Haaland: Man City stance on blockbuster transfer revealed amid Real Madrid and Barcelona links, Guardiola uncertainty

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has been linked with a move away in summer 2025

TEAMtalk can reveal that Manchester City have ruled out a possible transfer exit for Erling Haaland any time soon, as Barcelona and Real Madrid learn what it will take to lure the star striker away from the Etihad.

Man City‘s lethal attacker Haaland has been linked with a move to the two La Liga giants but Pep Guardiola’s men are desperate to retain his services, with his current terms running until 2027.

The 24-year-old is said to be hesitant about signing a new deal, amid the uncertainty over Guardiola’s future at the club – with the Spaniard out of contract in 2025. Moreover, City could be punished off the back of their ongoing legal battle with the Premier League and their 115 charges for alleged breaches of the division’s financial rules.

While Barcelona and Madrid are keen to recruit the Norwegian international, City sources have ‘laughed off’ the prospect of any deal happening soon and have shut down the Catalan outfit making a move for him in the coming months.

TEAMtalk understands it would likely take a world record fee to get Haaland out of City, who want to extend his stay at some point over this season, and with Barcelona’s much-publicised financial problems, a switch to Hansi Flick’s team would be out of the question.

Los Blancos want to create the ultimate team and Haaland could be the final piece of the jigsaw in that two-year plan. But the former Borussia Dortmund star is seen as key to City’s future and will remain one of the faces of the defending Premier League champions.

Moreover, our sources understand he would not necessarily want to leave City if Guardiola departed next year. The two have a normal player-to-coach relationship and with Haaland being so single-minded, it is unlikely he would be too cut up by someone else leaving the club.

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Haaland has been something of an unstoppable force since swapping Dortmund for City in the summer of 2022 for just £51.2million (€60m, $67m).

In 108 appearances in all competitions, the 6ft 4in striker has scored a whopping 101 goals. In his first campaign, he notched 52 goals in 53 matches and this season he has 11 in 10 games.

But reports on him starting to rethink his future at the club are beginning to mount. However, back in March, Haaland made it clear he is happy at the Cityzens.

“If I say this now. It’s probably gonna be a massive headline tomorrow. You never know what the future brings, but I’m happy. You can write this, but you also have to write everything I said before,” he said.

Even if he wants to go, City are likely to demand a world-record fee, with Neymar’s move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for £200m (€240m, $261m) currently the most expensive transfer of all time.

That is likely to put off just about everyone, bar teams in the Saudi Pro League. Whether City can retain his services for the duration of his contract, or even tie him down to a new deal, remains to be seen.

A stunning report has claimed that Guardiola’s side want to re-sign former academy gem Cole Palmer, who was sold to Chelsea just over a year ago for £42.5m (€51m, $55.6m).

However, if they were to pull off a sensational raid for the 22-year-old, it could set them back a whopping £125m (€150m / $163m).

City have also been linked with Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz, but the German international is wanted by a host of top European clubs.

Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Madrid, and more, are also firmly in the mix to try and sign the 21-year-old – who could reportedly cost €150m (£125.5m / $163.8m) to sign next summer.

Finally, City face competition to sign Torino defensive midfielder Samuele Ricci. With talisman Rodri out for the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, attentions have turned to potentially finding cover in that part of the field.

They are not the only admirers of the 23-year-old, though, as he has also been credited with interest from AC Milan and Chelsea.

Incidentally, no other Premier League player has scored as many goals as Haaland has (23) in 2024, with Chelsea’s Palmer hot on his heels.