Izuchukwu Okosi
Manchester City announced Tuesday they had reached an agreement to sign star striker Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund — subject to agreeing personal terms with the player sending an ominous statement of intent to their rivals.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe Norwegian international will move to the Etihad after the Premier League champions agreed to pay his reported 60-million-euro (£51. 1 million, $63 million) release clause with his contract expiring this summer.
The deal is £12m less than his release clause, on a bumper five-year £385,000-a-week deal.
“Manchester City can confirm we have reached an agreement in principle with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of striker Erling Haaland to the club on 1st July 2022,” the club said in a statement.
“The transfer remains subject to the club finalising terms with the player.”
The deal for the towering 21-year-old ends City’s long search for a specialist striker to replace record goalscorer Sergio Aguero, who left last year for Barcelona where he had a short stint and retired due to health issues.
The club failed in a high-profile attempt to prise England captain Harry Kane away from Tottenham Hotspur last summer.
Haaland, whose father Alf-Inge played for City from 2000 to 2003, has been sensational since joining Dortmund from RB Salzburg in January 2020, scoring 85 goals in 88 appearances for the German side.
Speculation linking City with Haaland had been gathering momentum in recent weeks, with reports on Monday claiming the player had already undergone a medical in Belgium.
Manager Pep Guardiola was reluctant to discuss the situation in a press conference on Tuesday to preview Wednesday’s game at Wolves, but all but suggested a deal was imminent.
“Everybody knows the situation, but I should not talk because I do not like to talk about the future, next season,” he said.
“At the same time I should say something, but Borussia Dortmund and Man City told me I’m not allowed to say anything until the deal is completely done, so I cannot talk. I’m sorry. We’ll have time to talk.”
Meanwhile Borussia Dortmund have announced the arrival of Nigerian – born Austrian international Karim Adeyemi, on the same day fellow striker Erling Haaland joined Manchester City. The fee for the 20-year-old wonderkid is around £32.5m.
Manchester United reportedly made a last-ditch attempt to sign Adeyemi, but he rejected their £150,000-a-week contract offer, according to reports in Germany.
The news then comes as a double blow to United, who have not only missed out on a promising young talent but also seen their bitter rivals sign one of the most coveted players in world football.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
