Super Agent Rob Segal has given his view on Manchester City potentially signing Erling Haaland this summer.
Haaland has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester City, and rumours have accelerated over the last few days. According to the Daily Mail, both parties have agreed a deal, with Haaland set to earn £500,000 a week at the Manchester club after they activated his release clause.
Segal has had his say on the deal, questioning whether many clubs could afford the rumoured salary of the Norwegian.
“Another player who is almost certainly heading for the top is Erling Haaland and with him looking like he’s agreed terms with Manchester City, the question really needs to be asked – How many clubs in the world can actually afford him? – Not many,” said Segal, speaking exclusively to Caught Offside.
“Aside from Manchester City and Real Madrid, Paris-Saint Germain, of course, needs to be in that conversation, but from purely a footballing perspective, he won’t go there. His dad, Alf-Inge Haaland, is an ex-player and he will know that the only decent football he’ll get if he went to Paris is Champions League football. The domestic league is no good,” added Segal.
Of course, PSG may be able to offer the sort of financial package that he is looking for, but as Segal mentioned, the league he will be playing in isn’t the most competitive. If he really wants to push on and become one of the best in the world, he has to play in the best league.
We’ve even seen Kylian Mbappe attempting to run down his contract, with his current deal expiring in the summer. Mbappe knows he must join one of the bigger leagues to prove himself as one of the best.
“If you’re a top player and you’re going to get serious money, there is only one place to play your football and that is in England,” said Segal.
Manchester City can offer not only monumental wages but a chance to play in a league widely regarded as the best in the world. Not only that, Pep Guardiola’s side are the best of the best in that league and are the current champions, with a good chance of retaining their title this season.
Haaland was born in England, so a move to Manchester shouldn’t scare him too much. The 21-year-old has lived in England, Norway, Austria and Germany so far, so moving countries is something the young striker is used to.