Man City are ‘willing to sell’ star striker Erling Haaland if he decides that he wants to leave the club for Barcelona next summer, according to reports.
Haaland and the Citizens were not on top form last season, although the Norway international still managed to bag 22 Premier League goals, with Man City finishing third in the Premier League.
By City’s high standards it was poor after winning the previous four Premier League titles with Pep Guardiola’s side having to rally in the final month or two to make sure they qualifed for the Champions League.
Haaland showed his dissatisfaction at performances so far this season after Man City lost 2-1 to Brighton before the international break.
The Norwegian said: “We’ve lost two games in a row, it’s not good enough, it’s way too bad. We need to figure it out, get back to winning ways. We can’t afford to lose games, as there’s so many good teams.
“It’s perfect to turn things around against United. We need to all be on our best, get our a**es going, get things going, because it’s not been good enough so far.
MEDIAWATCH: Can we not make a ‘cheeky’ hero out of this Liverpool fan please?
“Losing’s not cool, of course. It’s annoying. You need to use it to something positive. As motivation to do better the next game, and I expect that we are.
“We need to use the angriness inside us out on the pitch to deliver at our highest level.”
Man City bounced back from the loss to the Seagulls by comprehensively beating arch-rivals Man Utd 3-0 in the Manchester Derby and moved into the top half of the table after four matches.
However, Spanish website Fichajes now claims that Man City are ‘willing to sell’ Haaland in 2026 ‘if he decides to ask to leave’ to join another club.
MORE MAN CITY COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Man City ‘close in’ on £1.5bn deal after Premier League settlement is agreed
👉 Manchester City v Napoli predictions, expected line-ups, how to watch and stats
👉 Man City top scorers against the Big Six: Erling Haaland clear of Sterling with only two players ahead
The report adds that the Citizens ‘would only let him go for a fee close to 100 million euros , an amount that, in the current market, could be seen as a great opportunity’.
Man City ‘don’t want to keep a disgruntled star’ in their squad after Pep Guardiola ‘already stated on several occasions that he does not intend to retain any player who is not fully committed’.
Barcelona sporting director Deco sees Haaland as the Catalan giants’ ‘top priority’ and ‘believes the €100 million City would demand is within an acceptable range when compared to other recent moves in the market for elite strikers.’
That €100m (£87m) price is described as ‘special’ when you compare it to the £125m Liverpool paid for Alexander Isak and the ‘key’ to a potential move ‘will be City’s performance this season’.