Man City ‘favourites’ to sign Erling Haaland this summer with club in ‘need’ of a striker

Manchester City are one of two clubs who are ‘favourites’ to sign Erling Haaland this summer, according to reports.

The Sky Blues see the forward as a ‘primary target’ with his future to be decided ‘in the coming weeks’ as per The Athletic.

A €75m release clause will enter Haaland’s contract this summer - a fee seen as affordable for City.

The Site adds that Real Madrid are the Sky Blues’ biggest competitors for the 21-year-old signature.

Haaland has netted 80 goals in 79 appearances for Borussia Dortmund since he joined the German club from RB Salzburg in December 2019, making him one of the world’s most sought-after strikers.

The possibility of the move to the Etihad Stadium could be fueled even more after Pep Guardiola’s comments about signing a striker before the Manchester Derby on Sunday.

“I think the club need a striker, definitely,” the Catalan said.

“Maybe I am wrong, but I don’t agree with you. You say we play fantastically well without a striker because we are winning,” the Catalan responded to a reporter’s question.

“When we are not winning you will tell me we need a striker and I am naive - ‘how does this guy play without a striker?’. We need a striker and we have one [Liam Delap].

“We have 15 or 16 players and then some guys in the academy who are top players, I love to work with that. It is difficult for me to be a manager with 18 or 19 top-class players and every weekend nine or 10 players on the bench.

“It is impossible to handle it for a long time. The club need a striker and I think the club are going to try [to sign one]. If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. At the end we are going to adapt. If we don’t have a striker we play in a different way.”

Elsewhere, the Sky Blues have been linked with a move for Youri Tielemans with competition from Real for the midfielder, according to Foot Mercato.

The Belgium international has been a standout member of Leicester City’s squad since he initially joined them on loan from Monaco in 2018 before turning his temporary move to a permanent one the following summer.

A move for Tielemans could materialise for as little as €40m, the site adds, with Guardiola ‘very hot’ on bringing the 24-year-old to Manchester.

However, they claim that Tielemans’ preferred destination would be Los Blancos due to them being his ‘dream club’.