Manchester City have threatened legal action after a Real Madrid presidential candidate promised to sign Erling Haaland - but could they really pull it off?
Manchester City are considering legal action after a candidate in the upcoming Real Madrid presidential election made a startling promise: That he would bring Erling Haaland to the Santiago Bernabeu if he won.
Erling Haalandplaceholder image
Erling Haaland | Getty Images
Enrique Riquelme is challenging the incumbent Florentino Pérez in a snap election which was called amidst a chaotic period at the Spanish club, and made the headline-grabbing pledge on Wednesday as he wore a Real shirt with Haaland’s name on it on television. But is there any real chance that Haaland leaves Manchester City?
Could Real Madrid really sign Erling Haaland?
Riquelme made a promise to sign Haaland – and his City team-mate Rodri – for Real Madrid if he is elected by the club’s socios, their fee-paying members, on 7 June, when he will attempt to dethrone Pérez after a decade in charge of one of Europe’s most storied sides.
Discussing his prospective presidency on television on Wednesday, Riquelme wore a Real shirt embossed with Haaland’s name and said that “[Haaland] has a release clause and would like to join Real Madrid. If I become president, he will play for Real Madrid."
He also promised to sign former Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder Rodri from Manchester City - and stated that he would pay all member’s fees for next season should he break his pledges – as he sought to make his case for the presidency at the end of a campaign which has been marked by accusations that his rival, Pérez, had used bot farms on social media to support his cause and to attack Riquelme.
Haaland’s father and agent, however, moved swiftly to downplay any suggestion that he could leave Manchester City, saying in a joint statement that the story was “all very entertaining but not true,” while the club themselves released a statement denying that there was a possibility that he might leave the Etihad, or that he had a release clause in his contract.
"The stories which have emerged from Spain regarding the future of Erling Haaland are untrue," the statement read. "There is no chance of this happening and there is no contractual clause to enable it. We are considering legal action for the use of our player image in this context."
When Haaland first signed for City in 2022, there were widespread rumours that he saw a move to Real Madrid as the ultimate goal of his career, but he remains at the club four years later having won six major trophies including the Champions League and is under contract until 2034. The odds of Manchester City being willing to sell him appear astronomically small despite Riquelme’s apparent confidence, and if there really is no release clause in his contract then it’s difficult to imagine how a deal might get done under the current circumstances.
What about Rodri?
While the headlines have focussed on Riquelme’s claim about the future of Haaland, his suggestion that he would sign Rodri is perhaps more plausible – and it was notable that the statement released by Manchester City contained no references to the Spaniard, who has one year left on his contract at the Etihad.
The 29-year-old has publicly said that he intends to resolve his future after the 2026 World Cup. Rumours that Real Madrid wanted to sign him pre-date the presidential elections, and it may be that they make an offer of some kind regardless of the outcome of the upcoming election.
Riquelme is considered second favourite in the voting with polling suggesting that Pérez is likely to win the election this weekend. Pérez has made no claims about Haaland and there is no immediate suggestion that the Norwegian would be a transfer target should he emerge victorious.
Real Madrid are looking to rebuild their midfield and are interested in signing Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández, with Rodri another possible target as they consider the futures of French duo Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelién Tchouaméni, the latter of which was recently involved in a physical altercation with new club captain Federico Valverde.
A deal for Rodri, therefore, is eminently plausible come what may, although there remains every chance that City offer a new contract to a player who was indispensable during their treble-winning 2022/23 season.
A move for Haaland, however, appears to be a distant prospect even if Riquelme does upset the odds and win the presidency this Sunday – but should that happen, expect the rumours to intensify regardless of the likelihood of such a deal taking place.
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