Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has addressed Erling Haaland’s situation in response to recent reports linking the Norwegian striker with a move to Real Madrid.
Last week, Spanish reports indicated that the 23-year-old was dissatisfied with his life in Manchester and was considering a departure in the summer, with links to Los Blancos emerging.
Guardiola swiftly dismissed these rumours, asserting that they were an attempt to unsettle the striker. When asked again about Haaland’s situation, the Catalan manager reiterated his stance.
Talking to the media, Guardiola said [via Yahoo Sports]: “For one report, for one journalist or one Twitter account, one Instagram account, do you think they are going to change something that is going to happen? It’s not going to happen. It’s going to happen when Erling decides to extend the contract or not, when the club decides to extend a contract or not, or when we have potential offers to him or not. If someone wants Erling, it’s easy. Call Man City and ask. It’s what we do when we want to sign someone. It’s not more complicated than that.”
When asked if the club wanted Haaland to stay, Guardiola said, “What do you think? That we don’t want Erling to stay here for one decade. We want him—for a long, long time—at this club. For a long time. We are in love with him; we want him.”
Yet Guardiola admitted that he does not know what the future will bring.
“I don’t have information. He arrived last season and the impact was incredible,” he said. “The beginning of this season, the numbers were really good too. He’s had two months of injuries. What happens in the future? Honestly, I don’t know. We are happy to have him, and hopefully he’s happy to be with us. That is what we know. And the rest? I don’t know.”
City is poised to commence new contract negotiations with Haaland, who played a pivotal role in the club’s Treble-winning season last year, scoring 53 goals.
Despite being sidelined for the past two months due to injury, the 23-year-old has sustained his exceptional performance this season, currently sharing the top spot in the Premier League scoring charts with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
Haaland recently made a highly anticipated comeback for Manchester City in the match against Burnley last week. His full return to action is expected today, as the city faces Brentford away from home.