The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
City seal £51m deal for striker Haaland
Erling Haaland has set his sights on goals and trophies after completing his £51.1 million move to Manchester City.
The Premier League champions announced yesterday that the prolific Norway striker had finalised his switch from Borussia Dortmund after signing a five-year contract at the Etihad Stadium.
The 21-year-old, who scored 86 goals in 89 games in two-and-a-half seasons for the German club, will officially link up with Pep Guardiola’s squad on July 1.
Leeds-born Haaland follows in the footsteps of his father Alf Inge, who played for City from 2000-03.
“This is a proud day for me and my family,” Haaland told the club’s website, mancity.com.
“I have always watched City and have loved doing so in recent seasons.
“You can’t help but admire their style of play, it’s exciting and they create a lot of chances, which is perfect for a player like me.
“There are so many world-class players in this squad and Pep is one of the greatest managers of all time, so I believe I am in the right place to fulfil my ambitions.
“I want to score goals, win trophies, and improve as a footballer and I am confident I can do that here. This is a great move for me and I can’t wait to get started in pre-season.”
Haaland grew up supporting City because of his father’s connections and that proved a factor in his decision to join them ahead of other interested clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona.
He said: “I was born in England, I’ve been a City fan my whole life. I know a lot about the club. I feel a bit at home here. I think I can develop and get the best out of my game at City. I like the style, I like the attacking football and I like the positive vibe.”
The signing of Haaland ends City’s long search for a specialist centre-forward to replace record goalscorer Sergio Aguero after failing in their attempts to prise Harry Kane away from Tottenham last summer.
Haaland is rated as one of the hottest properties in the game having netted 135 goals in his 183-match professional club career to date, including earlier spells at Molde and RB Salzburg. He also scored his 20th international goal in just 21 outings in Norway’s Nations League victory over Sweden on Sunday.
He is expected to make his first appearances for City in their pre-season friendlies against Club America and Bayern Munich in the United States next month.
City then begin their next campaign when they face Liverpool in the Community Shield on July 30.
City director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “We have been monitoring Erling for several years now, so we are delighted to bring him here to Manchester City.
“He is a huge talent and has been one of the best strikers in Europe over the last few seasons. Erling has everything we want in a striker, and we are certain he will excel in this squad and this system. This is a very exciting signing.”
l Liverpool have agreed a deal with Benfica to sign forward Darwin Nunez for a potential club record fee, the Portuguese side have announced.
The 22-year-old Uruguay international will cost the Reds an initial £64m, with add-ons taking the potential final price to £85.5m. That would eclipse the £75m the Merseyside club paid for Virgil van Dijk in 2018.
Liverpool will look to finalise what is understood to be a six-year contract with Nunez, whose arrival could clear the way for Sadio Mane to leave Anfield.
A statement from Benfica said the club had “reached an agreement with Liverpool FC for the sale of all rights to the player Darwin Nunez, for the amount of 75 million euros”.
Personal terms are not expected to be a problem, with Nunez having expressed a desire to move to Liverpool despite reported interest from Manchester United.
He is now set to begin the formalities of a medical which could take until tomorrow to complete.
Nunez scored 26 goals in 28 league appearances for Benfica last season and scored in both legs of their Champions League quarter-final against Jurgen Klopp’s side in April.
He is effectively a replacement for Mane, who is the subject of interest from Bayern Munich. Liverpool are holding out for a fee in excess of £40m for the player.