Erling Haaland: Norwegian goal banger attracting all attentions in Europe

The names of two sports athletes are definitely written in the history books of football-Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo, who captains his country Portugal, holds the record of the highest number of Uefa Champions League goals with 134 followed by Messi, Argentine, with 119 goals. On the other hand, Messi leads the Balon_d’Or chart with six accolades followed by his rival Ronaldo with five such honours.

But with their waning spark, questions emerged over who would replace them as the best players in football, even if it does not mean filling in their boots in entirety.

 This is where French striker Kylian Mbappe and Norwegian attacker Erling Haaland came into the debate.

The two have shown the signs of taking over the button and replacing the raging debate pitting pro-Messi and pro-Ronaldo football fans.

And with Mbappe currently enjoying the signature of French giants, PSG, which has all the resources at its disposal, the probability of a big money move may not be imminent.

But Erling Haaland has been a subject of transfer speculation with various teams in Europe salivating for his signature.

The Borussia Dortmund man has racked up 33 goals in 31 games and has maintained an upward growth since moving from RB Salzburg.

With a cut out athletic body, Erling Haaland stands 6 foot 4 and has electric speed, impressive link up play and eye for goal.

Man City

European giants such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City have been reported to be sniffing the player. Nonetheless, his astronomical price tag leaves a lot to be desired given that clubs will have to go an extra length to pull the deal. His agent, Mino Raiola is also known various clubs as a shrewed business personality that does not only court controversy but milks every penny in inflated agent fees. Raiola is not a pushover when it comes to player sales. He will have his way.

After the departure of their decorated striker Sergio Aguero, which will come end of the season, Manchester City are in the hunt for a new striker and media reports reveal that Haaland features in their list.

But Pep Guardiola said Manchester City may not be able to afford to buy a striker this summer – ruling them out of the race to sign Erling Haaland.

Guardiola claimed the impact of the coronavirus pandemic meant even clubs with City’s huge wealth may find it impossible to meet the asking prices of some clubs.

Borussia Dortmund want £150million for their 20-year-old goal machine Haaland, who has 49 goals in as many games for them.

But Guardiola said City may be in a position where they cannot afford to sign a replacement for record goalscorer Sergio Aguero, who is leaving at the end of the season after 10 glittering years with the club.

“With these prices it’s impossible – we cannot afford it,” said Guardiola. “That’s not going to happen.

“I don’t know what will happen. Maybe we will not buy one. Today, there is more chance that we will not buy one.

“We have enough players in the first team and interesting players, and, with the world economics, it’s possible that we will not sign a striker for next season.”

On City’s record goalscorer Sergio Aguero, who is leaving this summer after 10 years with the club, Guardiola said: “These decisions are never easy.

“Maybe we are going to find a new player to replace him, but in terms of his numbers, it’s impossible.”

Manchester United

Just over City’s fence are their neighbours, Manchester United, who are also craving for Haaland’s signature. The Red Devils have struggled to bring in a galactico signing despite selling Romelo Lukaku to Inter Milan for an impressive fee. The Red Devils have also been linked with Haaland. But their manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has denied.

“I’m focusing on the next two months and whatever happens in the world of football, there’s only so many places anyone can go to,” said Solskjaer

“My focus is on the ones who are here and, even though I worked with Erling, it’s not right for me as Manchester United manager to talk about Erling – he will make his own mind up.

“I think the way the world works at the moment, you’d like to do all your business on the quiet and all your talks on the quiet, but there are platforms everywhere.

“The news and the media make that more difficult. Hopefully we can suddenly sit here with players no one has written about.

“We conduct our recruitment business, scouting, the players that we are interested in, we do it the right way, I hope and feel.”

Other clubs

In March 2021, the Norwegian player was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea, as the media reported that Thomas Tuchel was in interested in a deal that would send misfiring Timo Werner the other way. But the rumours have since dried up.

Barcelona and Real Madrid are both reported to be in the race for Haaland, with some Spanish media houses reporting that his agent has made trips to Spain to negotiate a deal with the two clubs.

[Additional reporting by the Mirror]