Erling Haaland to make contract clause demand in Manchester City talks amid transfer interest from three European giants

Manchester City may be told to include a specific clause in any new Erling Haaland contract by the player himself, a new report has suggested.

The Norway international is once again producing a stellar season to date as he enters into his third campaign with the Etihad Stadium club, having recorded 11 goals in his opening appearances for the club by early October.

Erling Haaland has the added bonus of having a free run at the leading striker role in Pep Guardiola’s set-up too, following the exit of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid for a €95 million agreement in the summer.

Given the growing interest in the player’s talents from across Europe, Manchester City are keen to keep those watching eyes at bay with a fresh contract for the player, but also as a reward for his outstanding contributions since joining the club.

Erling Haaland recently scored his 100th goal for Manchester City across all competitions, equalling a record set by Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid to become the joint-fastest player to reach a century by doing so in 105 appearances.

According to a new report from TEAMtalk, Haaland is now ready to sign a new City contract but only if it includes a release clause of £100 million, with Barcelona keeping close tabs on his ongoing situation.

Unsurprisingly, it is pointed out that the Premier League champions would want any release clause to be ‘much higher’, as they know that they would almost certainly lose Erling Haaland with a number of clubs willing to meet the aforementioned fee.

The likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are also mentioned as being ‘big admirers’ of the Norwegian international striker and would be wanting to jump at any chance to sign the player should he become available at Manchester City.

Despite Erling Haaland’s current contract at Manchester City running until the summer of 2027, Pep Guardiola and his team within the club’s hierarchy are keen to tie him down to a long-term contract as soon as possible.

For now, negotiations between Erling Haaland and Manchester City are reportedly set to continue in the coming weeks and all parties are hopeful of reaching a compromise soon, whilst a move to Barcelona is ‘very unlikely’ in 2025.

How Manchester City would go about replacing a player of Erling Haaland’s stature in the event of an exit any time soon remains to be seen, however the club have seen themselves tentatively linked with a number of names from across Europe.

Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic is one name that is attracting attention from a number of clubs due to his fine form and rise in the Italian game, whilst RB Leipzig and Slovenian starlet Benjamin Sesko is another name interesting various clubs.

In the absence of a natural back-up striker to Erling Haaland this season following Julian Alvarez’s exit, Pep Guardiola is likely to turn to the likes of Phil Foden, James McAtee, and Ilkay Gundogan for a false-nine role when necessary.