Manchester City have been linked with a summer swoop for Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland.
Erling Haaland, 20, has been such a revelation in top-level European football ever since he left his native Norway just over two years ago. The striker netted 29 goals in 27 appearances for Red Bull Salzburg, and came into prominence when he registered eight goals in six Champions League group stage games last season.
The Norwegian’s rich exploits for Red Bull Salzburg saw him being linked with a host of top European clubs, but Borussia Dortmund won the race for his signature last January. Haaland has been sensational since joining Dortmund, scoring a staggering 38 goals in 40 appearances across all competitions, including 22 goals in as many matches so far this season.
The 20-year-old’s brilliant form for the Bundesliga club has attracted the attention of Europe’s finest, with Manchester City prepared to submit a £100million bid this summer even though the striker will be available for £68million in the summer of 2022 as per a clause in the contract he signed with Dortmund last January.
Manchester City flying at the moment
Manchester City opened up a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table by beating defending champions Liverpool 4-1 at Anfield on Sunday. They are just flying and the most in-form team in the Premier League at the moment, playing some breathtaking football and ripping apart teams at will.
Pep Guardiola should be more than happy with his team’s performances that has led to a superb recovery after a slow start to the 2020/21 season. Despite injuries to a couple of key players, he has managed to pick up the pieces and get his team firing all cylinders again.
John Stones has enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in form, building a strong partnership with summer signing Ruben Dias at the back that is regularly keeping clean sheets of late. Ilkay Gundogan has been an integral cog in the City machine that sees them at the league’s summit, while Phil Foden continues to dazzle and was excellent in the 4-1 win over Liverpool.
Man City must replace Sergio Aguero at the end of the season
Sergio Aguero has achieved legendary status at the Etihad Stadium and is the club’s top scorer with 256 goals in 379 appearances. He has arguably scored the most important goal in the club’s history which helped City win their first-ever Premier League title.
However, the Argentinean has been hampered by injuries over the last few seasons, missing a lot of games for Pep Guardiola’s side in the process. Aguero is 32 and recent injuries have shown that age is slowly catching up to him. With the diminutive striker turning 33 in March and due to be out of contract that same month, the time will be ripe for Guardiola to replace the mercurial Argentinean.
Haaland can be Aguero’s worthy successor at Man City
A generational talent, Haaland has proved himself as a prolific goalscorer in such a short, budding career. He is an excellent all-round footballer, blessed with a turn of pace sufficient to wreak havoc some of the best defences in world football. A ruthless finisher in front of goal, the Norwegian international is scoring goals for fun at Dortmund with 14 strikes in 15 Bundesliga appearances a testament to his remarkable strike-rate this season.
With Gabriel Jesus yet to consistently prove himself at the club and doubts remaining whether he will be able to fill the big-sized void of the ageing Aguero, Manchester City should not hesitate to splash the cash on Haaland this summer.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.