Man City have three detailed signings to make before completing Erling Haaland move
Manchester City are close to signing Erling Haaland, according to Borussia Dortmund adviser Matthias Sammer.
“I know City is after him. The numbers – I had whiplash! I passed out. My wife picked me up again,” he said, after backtracking slightly on talk about how Haaland and Pep Guardiola would work together.
Whatever the status of the deal is, all signs lead to Haaland joining City, even if nothing is confirmed until the Norwegian is beaming next to Txiki Begiristain in a City-branded office, pen in hand.
Before that, Begiristain needs to clinch three further transactions before the summer transfer market opens.
With the prospective signing of Haaland and the signing of Julian Alvarez, City might move from having no strikers to having two ahead of next season.
Following that, focus should shift to other sections of the pitch that require improvement.
Even if Joao Cancelo and Aleks Zinchenko have provided adequate backup in the last two years, left-back remains an issue. However, center midfield is maybe the most in need of improvement.
Fernandinho will be 37 when the next season begins, Kevin De Bruyne will be 31, and Ilkay Gundogan will be 32 in October.
Rodri and Bernardo Silva, as well as De Bruyne and Gundogan, have a number of years ahead of them, but there’s no denying the midfield will require attention in the coming transfer windows.
Fixing it completely may be a tall order this summer, and City have learned how vital it can be to have experienced players who understand Guardiola’s demands this season.
Fernandinho and Gundogan may not have played as much as they would have liked, but they cannot be accused of underperforming when they are chosen.
Contract extensions are a no-brainer for both, with Fernandinho’s contract scheduled to expire at the conclusion of the season and Gundogan entering the final 18 months of his agreement.
Both have indicated an interest in extending their contracts, so retaining two vital components of the squad for at least another season should be viewed as a matter of when, not if.
Fernandinho’s contract will be resolved at the end of the season, according to Guardiola, who has lauded the captain’s leadership over the last two years.
Rodri was brought in to replace him, but Fernandinho has looked like a guy who could play until he’s 40.
He may play a more supporting role as he gets older, but his presence should give City enough time to identify a suitable replacement for the function he plays, as well as the region Gundogan covers.
Then there’s Scott Carson, the popular goalie who Guardiola lauded as an important component of the squad despite just making his second appearance for the club this month.
Guardiola instructed any young player going through the school to stand next to Carson and learn from him, so a one-year deal should be a simple talk for the third-choice goalkeeper.
If he is as vital in the dressing room as the club claims, he is worth keeping around as City attempt to develop their number of brilliant teenagers over the next year or two.
Once those remaining contract concerns are resolved, City will be able to focus on the more complicated futures of players like Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, and Riyad Mahrez, who are all out of contract in 2013. Bring in Haaland, and those players may be persuaded to stay.
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Man City have three detailed signings to make before completing Erling Haaland move
