‘Never say never, but as of now, nothing’ – Fabrizio Romano drops Erling Haaland transfer claim at Man City

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has provided his take on a potential move for Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland.

Manchester City are currently in the market for a new centre-forward, after they chose not to renew the contract of their all-time top goalscorer Sergio Aguero at the end of 2020/2021 season.

The blues have been strongly linked with Tottenham and England captain Harry Kane, but with negotiations said to be at a stalemate, many are questioning Manchester City’s alternative options with the new season less than a week away.

Some reports have the Norwegian striker Haaland as a potential option to replace Aguero, and with a record of 41 goals in 41 games last season, it’s easy to see why any club in the world would want to bring him on board.

The young striker is one of Europe’s most wanted talents and for good reason, having made a remarkable impact in Germany over the past few seasons. Chelsea, Manchester United, Real and Bayern were all also being strongly linked with a move for the Norway international.

But Dortmund made it clear early on that it would take a monumental offer for them to even consider selling Haaland this summer.

However, speaking to City Xtra, Romano provided his insight into the situation and claimed that it would be very unlikely for Manchester City to sign him this summer, both because of the fee that it would take for them to bring him in, as well as the lack of time remaining in the transfer window:

“My feeling is that it will be really difficult to sign Erling Haaland in this window. This has always been my feeling with Chelsea, and I go with the same for Manchester City.

“It’s a €175m fee and you have to pay also a huge salary to the player, and to his agent Mino Raiola. Really difficult, really, really difficult, and also Borussia Dortmund, remember what happened last summer with Sancho – they don’t need money because they sold Sancho and also, they are not selling players in the last days of the window.

“So if someone wants to sign Haaland, it [would happen] now, in the next five or seven days, because they’re not selling Haaland in the last week of transfers, it’s not in their style and is not in Borussia Dortmund’s style. So as of now, there is no contact between Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund. Never say never, but as of now, nothing.”

The 21-year-old will be expected to feature in the Bundesliga opener against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, but where he plys his trade next season remains uncertain.

Numerous reports have indicated a release clause set in the region of £68million can be activated next summer, opening the door for a number of clubs to sign Haaland in a cut-price deal.