Erling Haaland has revealed Riyad Mahrez helped convince him to join Manchester City this summer.
The Norwegian snubbed a whole host of top teams from across Europe in favour of a move to the Premier League champions, agreeing a deal back in May. City exploited a release clause in the 21-year-old's Borussia Dortmund contract in order to snap up the striker for a cut-price £51million.
The highly sought-after hitman has credited his father Alf-Inge, who previously played for City in the early 2000s, as playing a part in his decision to join Pep Guardiola 's side, but it appears he wasn't the only one to have an influence. City's new recruit has admitted Mahrez also had a role to play in his move to the Etihad.
When probed on discussions with City winger Mahrez, Haaland confessed: "Yes, he told me to come to City, so he was right about that. He talks, he said some good things about the club."
While most of the footballing world were engrossed in the European Championships last summer, the pair headed to the Greek island of Mykonos to make the most of the off-season. And it is there where the pair appeared to strike up a friendship.
Haaland and Mahrez were seen partying together and evidently formed a bond. At the time, the Algerian winger further fuelled speculation surrounding a potential move to City for the in-demand Borussia Dortmund striker by retweeting a video of himself and Haaland along with the caption, “Agent Mahrez”.
Have Your Say! How many goals will Haaland score for Man City next season? Tell us what you think here.
Discussing the factors behind his decision to join City this summer, Haaland cited the fact he feels "at home" in England, as well as the belief that the Premier League champions can get the best of out his game, as the two main reasons behind the move. He additionally acknowledged the influence of his father.
"First of all, my father a little bit," Haaland revealed. "I was born in England, I've been a City fan my whole life, I know a lot about the club.
"I think in the end, two things; I feel at home a bit here. Also I think I can develop and get the best out of my game at City.
“He (Alf-Inge) lived in England, he played for the club. Of course, a lot of things have changed in the last 20 years but he lived here, so he knows what it is.
"We've just been speaking about basically how it is, what's the best for me, what's this, what's that, and to try and find out everything. He's been a good dad in that thing there."
Haaland took to Twitter last Friday to express his excitement at embarking on his next footballing challenge in a post which also saw him pay tribute to his father. The forward upload two pictures of himself as a child wearing a City shirt, with 'Dad' emblazoned on the back. The caption read: "To be continued..." with a 'soon' emoji and a blue love heart.
