Erling Haaland has fuelled talk of a potential transfer to Real Madrid while admitting an extension at Manchester City is not his main "focus".
The Manchester City goal machine, who arrived at the club from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 on a five-year deal, has claimed that he is still very happy to be at Etihad Stadium, but also left a hint that he could consider leaving in the future.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, the Norwegian said: "I'm really happy, especially with the people I'm surrounded by. The manager, the directors, the board, I am really happy I have to say. I say this now, it will probably be a massive headline, tomorrow you never know what the future brings but I am happy. You can write this but you also have to write everything I said before. I am happy."
When quizzed on the possibility of a new contract at City, Haaland added: "Yeah, my focus is mainly now on the pitch, there's a lot of games, two days ago a derby, now CL, Sunday is Liverpool so I think I should focus on that."
La Liga giants Real Madrid have been linked with a move for the 23-year-old, and reports suggest that the player may have a release clause in his contract that can be triggered in the summer of 2024 by clubs outside England.
However, it remains to be seen if Los Blancos would consider paying an astronomical transfer fee in the region of £200m ($252m) for the City star after signing Paris Saint-Germain talisman Kylian Mbappe, who is set to join the club once he becomes a free agent in the summer.
Haaland has cemented his status as one of the most lethal forwards in today's football world. He clinched a runner-up finish in the 2023 Ballon d'Or and the 2023 Fifa Best Player award. When it comes to goal-scoring prowess, Haaland has already scored 23 goals in 30 appearances for City across all competitions.
Will it take Messi to retire before Haaland is recognized as the best player in the world? “I don’t know," the Norwegian said. “It’s true he won it and he won the World Cup, so I don’t know what to say. He’s the best that’s ever played I think, so yeah, I don’t know.”
