Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is targeting Erling Braut Haaland as Sergio Aguero’s replacement – but there are other options if he misses out on the Norwegian, and they include England skipper Harry Kane.
On Monday it was announced City’s record goalscorer Aguero will leave the club at the end of the season.
Guardiola has had a plan to bring in a new striker for some time now, which meant Aguero was likely to have even less playing time than he has had recently.
The finality over the Argentine’s future does leave City clear to pursue replacements. And no matter who they eventually sign, it will be one of the biggest deals of the summer.
It is no surprise 20-year-old Haaland is at the top of Guardiola’s wish-list.
The Norway and Borussia Dortmund forward has become the most coveted young number nine in Europe through his sheer weight of goals and he will be looking to add to his tally against City in their Champions League quarter-final.
Only prolific Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski has scored more than Haaland’s 21 goals in the Bundesliga this season, while earlier this month he reached 20 Champions League goals in only 14 appearances.
However, signing Haaland is not straightforward. His controversial agent Mino Raiola seemed to be suggesting the striker would be on the move this summer when in a recent interview with the Athletic, he told a story of an unnamed player who, together with his parents, decided to stay with his club despite interest from elsewhere.
The player then suffered two ligament injuries, which virtually ended his career. “Sometimes football is a train that passes by,” he said. “You can say ‘let’s take the next train’. But sometimes the next train doesn’t come.”
