It is hard to imagine things going much worse for Manchester City, but it is possible for the club’s status to fall even lower if star striker Erling Haaland pushes his way out. Transfer rumors are heating up that Haaland has his eyes on a potential move as Manchester City faces serious punishment.
Haaland has been linked to Arsenal, but it appears the star prefers a possible move to La Liga. TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey reported that Barcelona and Real Madrid are the top contenders to land Haaland if the star requests a transfer from Manchester City.
The timeline to watch is a potential move in 2027, per TEAMtalk. Bailey reported that Arsenal would have significant interest in Haaland, but the striker prefers a potential move to Spain.
“Our understanding is that the timeline – irrespective of a City relegation – was that Haaland and his camp were looking at 2027 [for a transfer], because that’s a down year in between big [international] competitions,” Bailey noted in an October 2, TEAMtalk podcast.
“I was told by an Arsenal source [that] clearly if a player like Haaland comes on the market – as they are one of the biggest clubs in Europe – they’re going to be interested,” Bailey added.
“… But my understanding is that Erling Haaland wants to go to Spain. Primarily, we’re talking Real Madrid and Barcelona.”
Erling Haaland Transfer Rumors: Manchester City Star Does Not Have a Release Clause in Contract
The reason for the massive speculation on Haaland’s future is that Man City is facing serious punishment, including potentially being relegated from the Premier League. Haaland’s future hangs in the balance as the star is not believed to have a release clause in his current contract, per Sky Sports.
This means that Haaland would have to push Manchester City for a transfer. Haaland is on a 10-year, $273 million contract slated to go through 2033, per Spotrac.
Erling Haaland & Manchester City Faces Potential Relegation Amid Premier League’s Punishment Options
Man City is facing the potential of relegation among other punishment options for breaking financial rules and falsifying documents. Amid the findings, Manchester City has formally filed an appeal.
BBC’s Daniel Austin laid out two of the potential relegation scenarios for Manchester City.
“The first is that one of the sanctions Manchester City are given is so significant a points deduction that they finish this season (or another future campaign, if the process takes longer) in the Premier League’s bottom three and are automatically relegated to the Championship,” Austin noted in a September 30, story titled, “Criminal investigation? Relegation or expulsion? The key Man City questions.”
“The second scenario is that they are expelled by the Premier League, which would require 15 of their rival clubs to vote in favour of a motion decreeing so.”
Erling Haaland Makes Decision on Arsenal Transfer Amid Manchester City’s Punishment: Report