Erling Haaland wants to sign for Real Madrid this summer, but the Spanish side are unable to compete with the finances on offer from Manchester City.
Haaland is expected to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer as a number of Europe’s leading clubs prepare to activate his release clause (€75m), with Real Madrid and Manchester City understood to be the frontrunners for his signature.
AS are reporting that Haaland’s preferred choice is to move to the Bernabeu, where the Norwegian is keen to play alongside Kylian Mbappe who is expected to complete his own move to the Spanish capital this summer.
The World Cup winner is expected to move on a free transfer following the expiry of his deal at PSG, with Real able to fund his wages following the expected departures of Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Isco.
Real, however, are currently unable to compete with the financial offer set to be submitted for Haaland by the Premier League champions with Pep Guardiola having made the 21-year-old his leading target at centre-forward.
City are yet to replace Sergio Aguero and sanctioned the sale of Ferran Torres to Barcelona last month, with the arrival of a new forward top of the club’s list of priorities.
Real’s focus has been on Mbappe after a failed bid for the Paris Saint-Germain star last summer, but the Ligue 1 side will be powerless to prevent his exit this time around with his contract set to expire in six months.
The prospect of Haaland and Mbappe in tandem could relaunch Real’s project after a transitional period, but it remains to be seen whether the Spanish league leaders can persuade the forward and his representatives to turn down a more lucrative move to the Premier League.
The report does suggest that Real may be able to compete for Haaland if they are able to offload Eden Hazard, the former Chelsea star having endured a torrid, injury-hit spell since his move to the Bernabeu, though a departure for the Belgian is described as ‘very complicated’.
