A big topic around Real Madrid right now is the existence of a release clause for long time dream transfer target Erling Haaland, striker for Champions League rivals Manchester City. Haaland is the record breaking Premier League single season goal scorer, and his insane work rate on both ends of the pitch has made him a hero at the Etihad since joining them in 2022. And in his first season, Haaland won the treble, finally bringing the Champions League title to Man City.
Real Madrid finally landed the Galactico that caused him to pass up on Haaland in 2022, Kylian Mbappe, but there are some Madridistas who regret the club not going for the Norwegian superstar and true No. 9 instead.
Well, presidential hopeful Enrique Riquelme is going hard after Erling Haaland, and he even waved around his Real Madrid jersey and a signed contract on live television to try to prove to fans that he has him in the bag.
Fanning the Erling Haaland flames
Haaland's camp and other reporters have disputed this signing forcefully, as have Manchester City, of course. Meanwhile, there are some Real Madrid reporters who are corroborating Riquelme's story that he met with Haaland in Spain and got him to agree to a deal to sign if he were to win the presidency over Florentino Perez on Sunday, utilizing a release clause to make the deal happen.
Well, Enrique Riquelme keeps doubling down on his story, because he told everyone again on Friday, via the Madrid Zone, that he is guaranteeing the Haaland signing if he were to become the president of Real Madrid.
Riquelme said, "Erling Haaland's release clause at Man City is under €180M. He will join Real Madrid if I'm elected on Sunday. I guarantee it."
A fee under 180 million euros would huge for Real Madrid to sign a striker the caliber of Erling Haaland, but it seems almost too good to be true. Now, Florentino Perez is boasting of a 150 million euro bid for a Galactico in response to the Haaland rumors, and many fans are hoping it is a PSG superstar or even Michael Olise from Bayern Munich.
But in terms of marketability, goals, and what the squad needs, Haaland may be the best it gets, especially since he works so hard for the team and has such a great character. The thing is, though, Real Madrid would have to let go of one of Kylian Mbappe or Vinicius Junior in order to bring in Haaland, and many Madridistas would not want to see Vini Jr. sacrificed.
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