Erling Haaland has taken the Premier League by storm, with the Manchester City striker having already scored 15 goals in his first nine Premier League matches.
However, his dominance may not be for the next decade, with it being revealed this week that the Norwegian striker has a $195million (£175.5million) release clause in his contract which becomes active in 2024, putting a number of clubs around Europe on alert. Chelsea are among the sides to have previously expressed an interest in the former Borussia Dortmund star.
The striker joined City after the Premier League Champions paid the £51million release clause which was agreed upon within the 22-year-old's Borussia Dortmund contract. This sets a precedent for Haaland to take such a decision once more, with any decision to move to Chelsea or Arsenal dependent upon both sides' success in the next two years.
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Who could afford Haaland?
Haaland is currently at a team backed to win the Champions League this season, but with football being a cyclical sport, there could be a chance that Chelsea or Arsenal will emerge as viable options for Haaland in the next couple of seasons.
Pep Guardiola's contract in Manchester expires in 2023 and a new deal is yet to be announced, however, he has hinted at a new deal. If this does not come to fruition, Haaland could be tempted to leave the club, with any potential transfer to become the second most expensive deal of all time, behind Neymar's 2017 move to PSG.
The most likely destination for him would be Barcelona or Real Madrid, with the two most historically powerful and appealing clubs in world football having two ageing strikers who will likely need replacing by 2024 in the form of Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema.
Chelsea were the biggest spenders in this summer's transfer market and could well find themselves in the mix should Graham Potter bring silverware to Stamford Bridge before then. However, the 6'5' forward has expressed a desire to test his skills outside of the Premier League and could mean that the Blues miss out, having previously being unable to secure a move before City.
What are the details of the clause?
The £176million clause would make Haaland the most expensive player in football history but given his age and stunning goal-record, many clubs may feel he would be worth every penny.
However, the Times are reporting that the clause only applies to teams outside the Premier League meaning the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal would not be able to benefit from a set-price transfer. Clubs in the Premier League would have to negotiate a fee with City for Haaland, leaving Guardiola's side able to name their price for such a deal.
Guardiola recently insisted there is not a clause in Haaland's contract with applies to a single specific team such as Madrid, telling reporters: “He has no release clause for Real Madrid or any other team. It’s not true, what can I say? I have the feeling he is incredibly happy here and we will try to make him happy. You cannot worry about the rumours, we have to worry about what we can control.”
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