Welcome back to Talking Transfers! TBR Football’s weekly column brings you the latest Premier League transfer news and updates from our chief correspondent, Graeme Bailey.
This week, we’ll dive into Erling Haaland’s contract clauses, a little on Premier League-based sporting directors and the centre-backs you’ll need to keep a close eye on in the upcoming windows.
I’ve been speaking to my sources, and some interesting nuggets could shape the next 18 months and beyond. Let’s break it all down.
[
Click to subscribe to the podcast ](https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondTheBackFour?sub_confirmation=1)
Erling Haaland’s future as Madrid and Barcelona lurk
Real Madrid and Barcelona both believe there are clauses in Erling Haaland’s new contract, signed last season, that could allow him to leave in the future.
City sources originally said that with the new nine-year deal running to 2034, his previous clauses had been removed. But sources close to the deal – and at Barcelona – think there are still some clauses in there. I mean, let’s be honest, every major deal Haaland has signed has always had clauses.
So, let’s see how this plays out. But when we’re talking about clauses, we’re not expecting Haaland to leave in the next 18 months.
Erling Haaland of Manchester City celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Brentford and Manchester City
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Barcelona have accepted that he’s likely to be at City beyond 2026. He is still their long-term dream target, but right now, he’s fully focused on the season.
Haaland’s been brilliant for City so far – 13 goals in 10 games. He’s almost at 150 goals for the club and hasn’t even played 160 games yet. He also has his first major international championships coming with Norway next summer.
So, for now, nothing’s imminent, but in 18 months’ time, it could become a real talking point. Haaland is always going to be a fascinating figure in both the Premier League and European football.
And yes, my sources confirm there are clauses in his contract that could play a part in his future down the line.
Are Saudi clubs looking at Premier League sporting directors?
Moving on to Al Hilal in the Super League – they’ve been linked with a lot of English-based sporting directors recently. Paul Mitchell from Newcastle, Paul Stanley from Chelsea, even Richard Hughes from Liverpool.
Paul Mitchell at Newcastle during pre-season training.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
But we can confirm there’s nothing there. Hughes is staying put at Liverpool – they’re very happy with what he’s done since joining from Bournemouth in 2024.
Interestingly, Tiago Pinto – the Bournemouth sporting director – has been on Al Hilal’s radar. He’s earned a lot of respect across Europe for what he’s done at Vitality Stadium since arriving from Roma.
Last season, he brought in Dean Huijsen and then sold him to Real Madrid.
He’s getting a lot of acclaim, and it’s not just the Saudis looking at him – big European jobs are noticing too.
Which centre-backs will shape transfer stories in 2026?
Now, let’s talk central defenders. The big three likely to dominate transfer talk in 2026 are Marc Guehi, Ibrahima Konate, and Edmond Tapsoba.
Keep an eye on Tapsoba – he’s having a very good season again with Bayer Leverkusen. Last summer, they lost Jonathan Tah, so they weren’t going to let him go cheaply.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen v Qarabag FK: Round of 16 Second Leg - UEFA Europa League 2023/24
Photo by Jürgen Fromme – firo sportphoto/Getty Images
The Premier League is a likely destination, and we’ll have updates soon on which clubs are focusing on him.
Then there’s Sporting Club of Portugal – Ousmane Diomande and Gonçalo Inacio. These two are supremely talented central defenders.
The top six in England have all made inquiries about them. Diomande was even looked at by Crystal Palace last summer, but with an €80 million release clause, that wasn’t happening.
I’m told Sporting are in advanced talks with both Diomande and Inacio to sign new contracts, and they’re confident it will happen. Both are names to watch heading into 2026 – they’re definitely stars of the future.