Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has broken his silence amid reports linking Erling Haaland with a move to the Etihad.
Borussia Dortmund are bracing themselves for the exit of Erling Haaland this summer. The Norwegian whizkid is unlikely to prolong his stay in the Bundesliga after a difficult season that saw the club fail to qualify for the Round of 16 stage of the UEFA Champions League and even the UEFA Europa League.
Manchester City are perceived as the front-runners in the race to sign Haaland. The Premier League giants are weighing up a massive transfer outlay on the youngster in the summer, while their former association with the player’s father may also give them the upper hand over the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Speaking to the media this week, Pep Guardiola was asked to speak on the matter ahead of the club’s FA Cup quarter-final encounter against Southampton.
“Since I am here, every month or two months people say we are going to sign 50 players,” said Guardiola, as quoted by Eurosport. “Right now, listen, It’s impossible that I am going to talk about some guy who is not here. He’s a Dortmund player and we’ve an incredible run ahead of us.”
A product of the Molde youth academy, Haaland has an incredible scoring record at Dortmund. In just 81 competitive matches, the striker has netted 80 goals and bagged 21 assists.
“At the end of the season, it is the transfer window, and many things are going to happen,” Guardiola added. “Maybe I speak about this club needing a striker for the next five, six, seven years, maybe once in the last 12 months.”
“I’m not going to be the guy saying we are a success or not a success because we didn’t have a striker. We have to play good and arrive with seven or eight players in the box. This is the best way to score goals.”
Manchester City have indeed enjoyed immense success even without a proper number nine and are currently leading the Premier League. However, following a draw with Crystal Palace, they are running the risk of surrendering their lead to Liverpool.
Also Read: Three strikers Manchester City could target in the summer
One would expect Manchester City to go all out for Haaland in the summer if they manage to lose out on the Premier League title this term. But with Real Madrid and Barcelona also involved in the equation, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the Norwegian this summer.
