Real Madrid could sign 23-year-old goal machine in 2024 due to exit clause put in his contract by Mino Raiola - reports
Real Madrid will reportedly be able to sign Manchester City's Erling Haaland for €175 million due to an exit clause inserted into his contract by late agent Mino Raiola.
The Norwegian hitman moved to the Etihad last summer when the Cityzens activated his £51 million release clause at Borussia Dortmund. Since then, he has been scoring goals for fun, registering 55 strikes and nine assists in 58 games across competitions for the English side.
But Haaland's future could reportedly lie away from Manchester City at the end of the season. According to journalist Tomas Gonzalez-Martin (h/t @MadridUniversal), Raiola inserted a €175 million exit clause that Real Madrid can trigger at the end of the ongoing season.
The agent's goal was supposedly to open the way for Haaland to join Los Blancos, who are currently in pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) Kylian Mbappe. The journalist adds that Real Madrid will pursue the 23-year-old Manchester City centre-forward if Mbappe rejects their approach next year.
Carlo Ancelotti's side are seemingly on the lookout for a quality No. 9 who can fill the void left by Karim Benzema. Their pursuit of Mbappe is yet to bear fruit and as per TuttoMercatoWeb transfer expert Marco Conterio, he is open to penning a three-year deal at Parc des Princes.
Carlo Ancelotti believes new midfield signing covers the absence of Karim Benzema for Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti has sensationally claimed that Jude Bellingham covers the absence of Karim Benzema up front for Real Madrid.
The 20-year-old English midfielder joined the Spanish giants this summer from Borussia Dortmund for an initial fee of £88.5 million. He largely plays as a box-to-box midfielder but it seems Ancelotti wants him to have a greater role in attack.
Speaking before his team's 1-0 La Liga win over Celta Vigo on 25 August, Ancelotti told Radio Serie A (h/t GOAL):
"We believe that the arrival of Bellingham covers the absence of Karim. [Bellingham] is a serious, mature boy with a lot of quality. What he is doing is not surprising to those of us who know him, what is surprising is that he is only 20 years old."
One can't argue with Ancelotti's words given Bellingham's numbers so far. He has registered four goals and an assist in his first three La Liga games for the club and leads the top-scorers chart.
Bellingham, who is being used as a No. 10 by Ancelotti, is on track to beat his best goal-scoring season in first-division football. He has never scored more than eight times in a league campaign, doing so last season for Borussia Dortmund in 31 Bundesliga games.