Was Erling Haaland’s agent in Madrid for Real transfer talks? Man City star’s representative quizzed on Santiago Bernabeu visit

Norwegian sensation Haaland, who hit 52 goals for Manchester City as they savoured Treble glory last season, is very much tied to the reigning Premier League champions for now. He has a contract at the Etihad Stadium that is due to run until 2027.

It has, however, been claimed that there is a release clause in that deal that could be triggered by teams outside of England in the summer of 2024. Reports suggest that a fee of between €180 million (£157m/$193m) and €200m (£174m/$214m) would be required in order to get a big-money move pushed through.

Haaland has been linked with Real Madrid for some time, as they are forever in the market for 'Galacticos', but Rafael Pimenta insists that she is not putting the groundwork in place for an imminent move to Spain. She told El Chiringuito when being spotted paying a visit to Santiago Bernabeu for the Blancos’ Champions League clash with Braga: “I've been here more times. Talk about Haaland with Florentino [Perez]? No, no, no, no.”

Haaland may be back on Real’s recruitment radar as they are reported to have dropped long-standing interest in Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe – who is due to hit free agency at the end of the 2023-24 campaign as his contract in France runs down.