Real Madrid reportedly not in the lead for Erling Haaland now
Real Madrid will continue to try and sign Erling Haaland to pair with Kylian Mbappe this summer, but as time goes on, it seems as if there are more reasons to believe Haaland will be headed elsewhere.
First, there was the recent report that Los Blancos are pessimistic about their chances of signing Haaland after a recent offer from Manchester City. For the past several months, City and Real have been seen as the clear frontrunners to sign Haaland. Though Haaland’s affinity for the Merengue club made many view them as the favorites, City’s financial power and the lack of a current No. 9 were always going to be key factors.
Now, Goal.com’s Manchester City reporter Jonathan Smith reports that the Citizens are indeed the leaders to sign Erling Haaland. He headlines his report as City “closing in on” the Borussia Dortmund star.
Last summer, City had significant interest in Harry Kane, though Spurs buckled down and would not sell the disgruntled striker. The Premier League champions recently signed Julian Alvarez at striker (briefly a Madrid target). But none of this has stopped them from pursuing Haaland as hard as possible.
Real Madrid will not get into a battle with Manchester City over commissions
Real Madrid have, by no means, given up on signing Haaland, and the battle is not done yet. Florentino Perez is obsessed with signing superstars, and he will do what he can to convince the Norwegian sensation to join Mbappe at the Bernabeu.
However, Perez will not beg. Nor will he overpay Mino Raiola, getting into a bidding war with the UAE’s financial resources. Not only can he ill afford to do so, but he also has no reason to. Perez knows he has the most well-rounded 9 on the planet in Benzema and will be getting Mbappe for free. He can get Haaland in the future, just as he got Mbappe from PSG – not Monaco.
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Therefore, it makes sense for City to lead the race, even if some fans are skeptical about how much Pep Guardiola would want to work with a traditional No. 9 after past rocky relationships with star strikers. City want a superstar to take them to the next level, and Haaland has a personal reason to choose them, given his father’s star status at the club in the past.