'You never know' - Erling Haaland consciously fuels Real Madrid transfer talk as he admits his 'focus' is not on potential contract extension at Man City

The Manchester City goal machine, who arrived at the club from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 on a five-year deal, has claimed that he is still very happy to be at the Etihad Stadium, but also left a hint that he could consider leaving in the future.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, the Norwegian said: "I'm really happy, especially with the people I'm surrounded by. The manager, the directors, the board, I am really happy I have to say. I say this now, it will probably be a massive headline, tomorrow you never know what the future brings but I am happy. You can write this but you also have to write everything I said before. I am happy."

When quizzed on the possibility of a new contract at City, Haaland added: "Yeah, my focus is mainly now on the pitch, there's a lot of games, two days ago a derby, now CL, Sunday is Liverpool so I think I should focus on that."

La Liga giants Real Madrid have been linked with a move for the 23-year-old, and reports suggest that the player may have a release clause in his contract that can be triggered in the summer of 2024 by clubs outside England. However, it remains to be seen if Los Blancos would consider paying an astronomical transfer fee in the region of £200m ($252m) for the Cityzens star after signing Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe, who is set to join the club once he becomes a free agent in the summer.

For now, Haaland remains focused on his duties at City, and will be next seen in action for Pep Guardiola's side on Wednesday against Copenhagen in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie before facing Premier League leaders Liverpool in a potential title decider on Sunday.