Real Madrid have made contact with a "special" Manchester City player over a move to the club in 2026, with the Spanish giants potentially having huge funds to spend.
Haaland's stunning form continues for Norway
Pep Guardiola's side haven't always been perfect this season, but the form of Erling Haaland has been astonishing, with the 25-year-old discussing being in the form of his life after last weekend's 1-0 win away to Brentford.
"You can say so, I’ve never felt better than I do now. So yeah you can say so. I think it’s about preparation first of all, getting ready for the games. You can be physically ready but you need to be mentally ready as well."
Manchester-City-Erling-Haaland
Now, Haaland has broken yet another record, becoming the fastest player in history to score 50 goals at international level, following his hat-trick for Norway against Israel, reaching the milestone quicker than the likes of Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe, among others.
There arguably isn't a better player in the world on current form than Haaland, with City well aware of what a priceless player he is for them for many more years to come.
According to Caught Offside, Real Madrid have been in contact with Haaland's representatives over a move next year, potentially coming in as Vinicius Junior's replacement, with the Brazilian possibly earning them as much as £217m.
That said, City have "made it clear" that they have no plans to sell the Norwegian, and the striker is "not pushing to leave the Etihad Stadium", which is significant.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland applauds fans before the match
Losing Haaland at this point in his career doesn't bear thinking about for City, considering he is unrivalled in his position, proving to be unstoppable when in top form. Guardiola knows more than anyone how important it is to keep hold of his star attacker, lauding him last month after one of his latest star turns.
"Erling never disappoints us since he arrived. Erling has the commitment, that is why he signed a contract for many years. He’s a special player."
The only positive to Haaland leaving is that City are in an extremely strong bargaining position, with the striker's contract not expiring until the summer of 2034, meaning they can demand incredible money for his services.
But no fee is enough to be open to selling him, though, and it would be a huge surprise if a move to Madrid happens in the near future, unless Haaland himself has a sudden change of heart.
He is maturing as a footballer all the time, and frighteningly for defenders all over the world, his peak years are potentially only just beginning, and City will hope he becomes one of the greatest attacking players of all time at the Etihad and nowhere else.