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Erling Haaland transfer timeline: From Red Bull Salzburg via Dortmund to Manchester or Madrid?

Man City appear to have moved into pole position to land the Norway striker but Real Madrid remain in the running. With a decision imminent on his future, Planet Sport looks at how we have got here.

Since he burst onto the scene with Red Bull Salzburg in 2019, Erling Haaland has been one of the most coveted strikers in world football.
With a market value far north of £100million, only a handful of the sport's most elite clubs will have the financial muscle to secure the Norwegian's signature.
Planet Sport looks at the background to Haaland's next career-defining move.

December 2019

Borussia Dortmund announced the signing of Haaland from Red Bull Salzburg in December 2019, three days before the transfer window opened.

The Bundesliga side secured Haaland's services for a reported fee of €20million on a four-and-a-half year contract, beating off reported competition from Manchester United and Juventus.

A release clause was rumoured to have been inserted in Haaland's contract at Dortmund, but no figure was initially revealed.
Haaland cemented himself as a world-class talent on February 18, 2020 when he scored twice against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round of 16. In three months his value had skyrocketed from £27million to £72million.

March 2020

German newspaper Bild refuted claims that Haaland's release clause would be valid in the summer. Instead, clubs would have to wait more than two years, until the summer of 2022, for the clause to become active.
Spanish newspaper Marca had claimed Real Madrid were prepared to activate Haaland's release clause in the summer of 2020. However, Bild's revelations meant Los Blancos would have to pay the full market value for the striker if they were to lure him from Dortmund.

June 2020

Just six months after joining Dortmund, Haaland's love for Leeds United was revealed.
"He would be a good fit for any club and for Liverpool he is good - when he speaks about United, he speaks about Leeds United!" said fellow Norwegian Jan Aage Fjortoft.
Haaland's love for the Yorkshire club stems from his father, who had a spell with Leeds from 1997-2000 - Erling was actually born in the city.
In fact, in an interview from 2017, Erling stated that "my dream is to win the Premier League with Leeds".
The West Yorkshire side were reportedly interested in the forward during his time at Salzburg, but their chance to make Haaland's dream come true have long since evaporated.

Summer 2021

After being pursued by Premier League champions Manchester City all summer, Harry Kane released a statement declaring that he would be staying at Spurs. It meant Pep Guardiola turned to plan B - Erling Haaland.

A figure of £150million was mooted for Haaland but with rumours of a much-lower release clause, City opted to bide their time.
City would reenter the market, going after Cristiano Ronaldo, but the Portuguese instead opted for an Old Trafford homecoming.

December 2021

After months of speculation, details of Haaland's release clause were finally revealed, with £64million needed to sign the striker in the summer of 2022.
This was big news for Europe's top clubs with Haaland's market value more than twice that.
Haaland's agent Mino Raiola also stirred the pot, the superagent picking out four potential clubs for his client - Manchester City, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Khan stated that the club had the funds to make a "major" signing in the near future. However, Raiola revealed that there were 15 clubs in the mix for Haaland.

January 2022

Haaland reportedly told fans "I will play here in Spain" while on holiday in Marbella with his family and Spanish giants Real Madrid openly declared their interest in both Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
An exclusive interview in January 2022 allowed Haaland to speak out about his potential transfer.
"The last six months I have chosen not to say anything out of respect for Dortmund, but now the club has started to press me into making a decision. All I want to do is play football. But they press me about my future, so that means I have to make a decision soon," Haaland told Jan Aage Fjortoft.
In response, Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has admitted to feeling "surprised" at Haaland's media comments.
"Erling's comments surprised us a bit," Zorc said. "There is currently no deadline, and there have not even been any discussions. But that we want and have to have talks at some point is clear, understandable and only professional."

January 31, 2022

Man City's interest in Haaland looked to have receded after they signed young Argentinian striker Julian Alvarez from River Plate for £14million.
City sent Alvarez back to Argentina to spend the remainder of the season on loan, although it is likely that he will light up the Premier League next season.

March 2022

Sources in Germany reveal that Manchester City have a deal in place to land Haaland in the summer.
They say personal terms have been discussed and the framework of the transfer is ready to be signed off by City chiefs.
When his agent, Mino Raiola, and a signing-on bonus are factored in, the outlay is expected to be around £100million.
Real Madrid remain in the running but City received a further boost when Barcelona appeared to rule themselves out, saying they wouldn't be involved in a deal that would expose the cash-strapped club to "further risk".

READ MORE: Who is the best: Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland?

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