Erling Haaland wore a Mario Balotelli Manchester City shirt in 2012, as seen in a viral video that has resurfaced.
The striker is being targeted by Pep Guardiola, who is after a centre-forward this summer. The 21-year-old is also being tracked by Real Madrid but the Manchester Evening News understands City are frontrunners in the race for his signature.
Now, an old video from a decade ago that shows Haaland — son of former City midfield skipper Alf-Inge — wearing a number 45 Balotelli shirt. The footage sees the then 11-year-old showcasing his skills, and it’s clear even at that age he had special talent.
READ MORE: Man City 'moderately optimistic' of signing Erling Haaland
Haaland has scored 80 goals in 82 games for Borussia Dortmund, but is expected to leave the Bundesliga club this summer despite his contract running until 2024. He is said to have a release clause of £62.7m in his contract, although some reports claim the player has to notify Dortmund by the end of April to trigger it.
This, however, has been played down by Dortmund's head of their licenced player department, Sebastian Kehl. Meanwhile, there have also been rumours that the Norway attacker has rebuffed an initial £500,000-per-week offer from City in an initial approach.
Cristiano Ronaldo is currently the Premier League’s highest earning player on a reported £480,000-a-week salary at Manchester United. If it materialises, Haaland’s arrival at the Etihad would break that figure, if his offer rejection is anything to go by.
