Former England striker, Michael Owen, believes Erling Haaland is likely to remain at Manchester City despite continued interest from Real Madrid.
Haaland has been linked with a move to the Spanish giants, with Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme previously promising to bring the Norwegian striker to the club if elected.
However, Riquelme lost the election to incumbent president Florentino Perez, who has since brought back Jose Mourinho as manager.
The 25-year-old Haaland joined Manchester City in 2022 and has established himself as one of the most prolific forwards in world football.
He scored seven goals during Norway’s World Cup campaign before their quarter-final defeat to England.
Haaland has recorded 162 goals in 198 appearances for City and has won every major trophy available to the club during his time at the Etihad Stadium.
However, Owen does not expect the striker to move to Real Madrid, particularly with Kylian Mbappe already leading the club’s attack.
“While they’ve got Mbappe, I can’t see them spending that money.
“Already people question whether Vini Junior and Mbappe can play together because Mbappe likes to play off the left a bit, they already question that. If it was Mbappe and Haaland, how would you fit those two in? Would you play Mbappe off the left?
“I think it’s one or the other, to be honest. I don’t think you can have two of the arguably best centre-forwards in the world, Mbappe and Haaland. I don’t think you can have them in the same squad, personally.
“I mean, the cost, and then trying to make that work… It’d have to be that Mbappe would leave for that to happen, I would think. They’ve already tried the Galactico thing many years ago, my generation. Just collecting great players is not necessarily the answer.”
Haaland is under contract with City until 2034 and has also indicated that he remains committed to the Premier League champions.
Speaking to ESPN ahead of the Community Shield against Arsenal, the striker said he was excited about the club’s future and his own prospects at the Etihad.
“I’m super happy and I’m looking forward to what’s next because I think it’s exciting times for City as a club and also me as a player. I’m looking forward to continuing with City.”
