Real Madrid and Man City Favorites to Land Borussia’s Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland of Dortmund (left) in 2020
Erling Haaland of Dortmund (left) in 2020. Photo by Pixathlon/Shutterstock (10529765ab)

The race for Borussia Dortmund’s star striker Erling Haaland is down to two clubs. According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Haaland will choose between Real Madrid or Manchester City as his new club. Ornstein adds that the 21-year-old phenom is expected to make his final decision in the next few weeks.

Haaland still has several more years on his contract with Borussia but wants to leave Germany this summer and try himself in a new league. He has a €75 million ($82 million) release clause in his deal, making him a bargain considering his ability in front of the goal. Almost every high-profile club in Europe is circling around Haaland at the moment, but the Norwegian reportedly has his options down to Real and City.

Real didn’t plan to make a move just yet, preferring to secure a deal for French star forward Kylian Mbappe this summer and then go after Haaland after the 2022-23 season. However, with City making a strong push to get Haaland in the next transfer window, the La Liga powerhouse also decided to act.

Manchester City is on the market to get a striker for a while, and it was believed that their first option was Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane. However, Kane’s hefty price tag and Tottenham’s reluctance to sell made them turn to Haaland. Still, City wants to know his decision as soon as possible in order to be able to plan their next steps.

Erling Haaland broke onto the scene as a teenager with Red Bull Salzburg, scoring 29 goals in just 27 games with the Austrian club. He quickly secured a move to Borussia Dortmund during the winter transfer window in 2020 and has been on an even bigger tear since. Haaland played 79 games with Borussia in all competitions and scored 80 goals while dishing 21 assists.