Elling Holland. Photo = Getty Images Korea.
One of the two main characters in this summer’s transfer window, 21-year-old Elling Haaland, is expected to choose a destination within the next 10 days.
Two Spanish giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona, and England’s Manchester City are three strong candidates.
The BBC reported on the 18th (Korean soccer) that, citing European soccer expert Guillem Balague, “None of the three clubs knows what will happen.”
Haaland, a member of the German Bundesliga Borsia Dortmund, has a contract until 2024, but a £63.2 million buyout clause will be activated after the end of the season. If you pay more than that amount, you can directly negotiate with the player without consulting with the club you belong to and proceed with the transfer.
According to Balage, the amount offered by the three clubs to Haaland is almost the same. So money cannot be a consideration when choosing a team. So, each club focused on explaining the club’s management policy, such as how to play the game and how to use it. All members of the club, including the manager, were the subject of discussion.
There is also the possibility of staying at Dortmund for another year. This means he will move to Real Madrid or Barcelona after the next season. Because he ultimately wants to play in La Liga.
The number one priority for him is Real Madrid. However, Manchester City are taking advantage of the fact that another player in the summer transfer window, Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), is sure of a move to Real Madrid, and Karim Benzema is still performing well as a starting striker. Manchester City also point out that Barcelona are currently not in a position to compete for the title in the league and European club competitions.
The actual timing and circumstances are working in Manchester City’s favor. Manchester City’s approach is ‘You have a lot of time because you are very young. It was to persuade him that he could move to Real Madrid after spending a few years with us.
The variable is how long Josep (Pep) Guardiola will take the baton.
Haaland asked Manchester City about the future of Guardiola and the club responded that he would consider staying longer than 2023, when his contract expired. Manchester City are hoping to convince Pep to take over the team for at least one more year.
Haaland left Austria’s Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020 to join Germany’s ‘Bee Corps’. He has scored 23 goals in 22 appearances this season.
View more articles from Donga.com Correspondent Park Hae-sik pistols@donga.com
