Manchester City are ‘pinning hopes’ on a £50m boot deal handing them the advantage in the chase for Erling Haaland, with the Borussia Dortmund man looking set for a departure next summer.
The Norwegian starlet is undoubtedly the most sought after talent in world football at present, having enjoyed a prolific last 18 months or so in Germany, after making the switch to Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020.
Since then, the 21-year-old has been frighteningly consistent, having scored a staggering 68 goals in just 67 games for the club in all competitions, including 47 goals in just 48 Bundesliga games.
Such form has unsurprisingly caught the attention of Europe’s elite, with there seemingly a whole host of sides hoping to win the race for his signature next summer – when the youngster’s reported £75m release clause is believed to come into effect.
According to the Star, one of the clubs who are firmly in the mix to secure his signing is Manchester City, with the Premier League champions hoping that a lucrative boot deal can help hand them the advantage in the hunt for Haaland.
City’s kit manufacturers, Puma, are keen to prize the lethal forward from his current sponsors Nike by offering a four-year deal worth £50m.
Puma signed a ten-year, £650m kit deal with the club in 2019, with the hope that those ‘close business ties’ can give them the upper hand in the battle for Haaland, should he opt to agree his own deal with the company.
Pep Guardiola’s side are seemingly on the hunt for a new centre-forward after missing out on both Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo over the summer, while they also saw long-serving club icon Sergio Aguero depart the Etihad for Barcelona at the end of the season.
That being said, they did romp to the league title last term without the use of a recognised centre-forward and have started the new campaign in a similar vein despite missing out on a new addition to lead the line.
