The transfer remains subject to the Premier League leaders finalising terms with Haaland, the club said.
File image of Erling Haaland. AP
Manchester City said Tuesday they had reached an agreement to sign prolific striker Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.
“Manchester City can confirm we have reached an agreement in principle with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of striker Erling Haaland to the Club on 1st July 2022,” the Premier League champions said in a statement.
“The transfer remains subject to the club finalising terms with the player.”
The deal for the 21-year-old ends City’s long search for a specialist centre-forward to replace record goalscorer Sergio Aguero, who left last year.
Haaland, whose father Alf-Inge played for City from 2000 to 2003, has been sensational since joining Dortmund from RB Salzburg in January 2020, scoring 85 goals in 88 appearances for the German side.
Earlier on Tuesday, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had dropped a massive hint that Haaland might be coming back home.
“Everybody knows the situation,” the City manager said at a news conference ahead of the match against Wolverhampton in the Premier League on Wednesday, “but I should not talk because I don’t like to talk about the future. Dortmund and Man City have told me I can’t say anything until the deal is done.
“I would love to talk, but I can’t.”
The 21-year-old Haaland was born in England — in Leeds, which is a short drive from Manchester in the north of the country — while his father, Alf-Inge, was playing for City in the Premier League. As a kid, Erling Haaland was pictured wearing a City jersey.
“I wish he was coming back home here to Leeds — this is his birthplace — but I understand the decision for him to go to Man City,” said Leeds manager Jesse Marsch, an American who coached Haaland when they were at Austrian team Salzburg.
“Credit to them for getting that done,” Marsch added. “I always wish the best for Erling, he is an incredible human being.”
Along with Kylian Mbappe, Haaland is leading the new generation of stars ready to take over from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as soccer’s marquee players. He could be the headline signing that lifts City from being a regular winner of domestic trophies to the standout team in Europe. Pep Guardiola’s team has failed to win the Champions League despite heavy spending by the club’s Abu Dhabi ownership.
With inputs from Agencies
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