Recently, Erling Haaland has been unwilling to speak on the possibility of a future transfer to Real Madrid.

Free agent Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain will likely sign with Real Madrid in the summer. Nonetheless, the Whites have always had a soft spot for his Norwegian rival as well.

Whenever Haaland began scoring goals for Borussia Dortmund, rumors began swirling that he may be a Real Madrid target. However, Pep Guardiola has already put an end to rumors about Haaland. The Spanish coach lamented the fact the Spanish media knew more about the clause than him.

Haaland will play a pivotal role in City‘s objectives moving forward with another possible treble in the bag this season. Nevertheless, when questioned about his future midweek, the Norwegian caused quite a stir.

“I’m really happy, especially with the people that I’m surrounded with. The manager, the directors, the board, they are a group of amazing people and I’m really happy, I have to say”, he told reporters.

“If I say this now it’s probably going to be a massive headline, but tomorrow you never know what the future brings. But I’m happy. You can write this, but you also have to write everything I said before. I’m happy.”

Could Real Madrid accommodate both Haaland and Mbappe?

Real Madrid are now the only team in Spain that can afford to sign Erling Haaland. Thus, the general consensus in Madrid is that he will want to try himself there at some point. Potentially pairing Haaland and Kylian Mbappe’s together is a future that other teams don’t wish to think about.

Kylian Mbappe is finally expected to arrive in Madrid this summer
Kylian Mbappe is finally expected to arrive in Madrid this summer

Kylian Mbappe is finally expected to arrive in Madrid this summer

In any case, Mbappe’s arrival at Santiago Bernabeu isn’t until this summer. So, any move for Haaland won’t happen for at least two seasons. Despite the striker maintaining his happiness at City during his contract, which runs until 2027, he has some wiggle room in case he wants out.

The Norwegian’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta, is famously good at negotiations. She made sure a release clause was in her client’s contract when he joined Manchester City.

The clause means that he may depart in the summer of 2024 for a fair fee, provided that the team purchasing him is not from the Premier League. It gets better: the price goes down as the transfer window closes.

What is Erling Haaland’s release clause?

It has been reported that Haaland’s $219 million departure option would be activated in June and reduced to $193 million in 2025.

City are reportedly optimistic in their ability to get a contract extension with Haaland’s representation, according to the latest update from Diario AS. Nevertheless, the report adds that the young star is keen on keeping the departure clause.

Once a deal is struck, the sale clause will reset to $193 million; however, Real Madrid will still be able to make a bid if they were to modify their plan in the future. Given Pimenta’s usual mode of operation, the Citizens intend to extend his current deal and have had conversations about it.

This gives Madrid, and Haaland optimism that he may wind up in the Spanish capital sometime soon.

Photo credits: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire : IMAGO / NurPhoto.