Erling Haaland could be the first £1billion player
Erling Haaland’s agent has claimed the Manchester City striker could become the world’s first £1billion player.
Haaland has had a strong start to his City career since signing with Borussia Dortmund on his release clause, which sources said was worth €60m to ESPN.
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The 22-year-old has scored 20 goals in 14 appearances in all competitions for City this campaign, leading his representative Rafaela Pimenta to say he could break the £1billion barrier for a signing.
« If you put together his football value, his image value, his sponsor value, that’s for sure £1billion, » Pimenta said when talking about the transfer fee Haaland could be signed for in an interview with Sky Sports.
“It’s normal to compare Erling with [Kylian] Mbappe, so you have a bit of an idea of the market – I think Erling would be the first player to complete a transfer of around £1billion.”
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Earlier this month, City manager Pep Guardiola dismissed reports that Haaland had a clause in his contract which would allow him to join Real Madrid for a lower fee after the 2023-24 season.
« The good and the bad of being a lawyer is that you know what you can’t say, » Pimenta said in response to a question about those reports. “You don’t need someone pushing you like, ‘Don’t say this, don’t say that.’ I can’t talk about it.”
Pimenta was also asked if talks will take place soon over a new contract for the Norway international at the Etihad Stadium.
« I hope so, » Pimenta said. “If they want to chat today, we would be happy. Why not ? Always good. »
