Over £200m! Real Madrid sent Erling Haaland transfer cost warning as prediction is made for when he'll leave Man City to become next 'Galactico' after Kylian Mbappe

Prolific Norwegian frontman Haaland only moved to England in the summer of 2022. His debut campaign at the Etihad Stadium delivered a Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup treble – with 52 goals plundered along the way.

There has been talk of a release clause existing in Haaland’s contract, but City legend Richard Dunne – speaking in association with William Hill – has told GOAL when asked if the Blues’ hand could be forced in upcoming transfer windows: “If there is a release clause and someone matches it, that’s it. If there was an agreement prior to him signing for City that he would stay for a set amount of time and then move on, then that’s that. He was already a top goalscorer at Dortmund, internationally and everything, but it has gone through the roof in the Premier League. It’s regarded as the best league in the world, so if you get a player who is scoring a ridiculous amount of goals in the Premier League, it is going to cost you an awful lot of money to replace them.

"It’s not as straightforward as ‘we bought him for 60m so we’ll sell him for 70’ – I think it’s going to be triple that, maybe. There are huge financial implications in the deal as well. When the time comes, it comes and if it's the right deal for City, then so be it. We all want to watch him play and score goals, but City’s model isn’t based around one player. They have missed [Kevin] De Bruyne this season and it’s great to have him back, but they have stayed in contact with the leaders in the league. Similar with Haaland not being there for a while, they have still managed to score goals. There are different styles of football that City can go to to suit what they have got. If the time comes that Haaland’s not there, then they will just move on and continue to be the force they have been.”

Speculation has suggested that Haaland may already be open to taking on a new challenge outside of Manchester, but Dunne believes the talented 23-year-old will stick around for some time yet. He added: “I would have thought when he first came that he would probably want to play for Real Madrid at some time in his career. I think a lot of players, most players, would do. He’s won the Treble at Man City, he’s come and achieved everything he can. But I do believe that he will stay maybe another two seasons - two or three. I think he will be there until he’s 25 and then we might see him move on.

"From what I gather he is enjoying his time at Man City. I know reports suggest differently, but he’s enjoying his time here. He’s winning games every week, he’s scoring goals, he’s winning trophies. He has got the possibility with that group of players to win the Treble again – whether it is this season or next season. I don’t see it being an instant worry for the club or the fans, but maybe over the next two or three years his wish might be to move on.”

Some outlets have claimed that Haaland, who was born in Leeds during his father Alf Inge’s time at Elland Road, is growing tired of the inclement Manchester weather. Dunne is not having that and added on climate concerns leading the fearsome frontman to head for the much sunnier Spanish capital: “That’s what happens. It’s not like it’s all of a sudden a shock to him. He was brought up in Yorkshire and around Manchester. It’s life. It can rain in Madrid as well!

"For a footballer, if you are somewhere and you’re enjoying it and playing well, sometimes the grass isn’t always greener somewhere else. He is in the form of his life, playing for the best manager in the world, with some massively talented footballers. Real Madrid is such a big pull for players around the world, certainly the best ones, but they change manager every couple of seasons, they have new players, so it’s not as straightforward as people would believe. I think he’s in a good position, but I 100 per cent understand there will come a time when talk of him wanting to move along has to be taken seriously.”

While City are understandably reluctant to part with a player that they have tied to a contract through to 2027, Madrid do have history when it comes to getting their own way in the recruitment market. Dunne added on that concern, with one superstar striker seemingly already heading to Santiago Bernabeu in 2024: “It’s taken them a while to get [Kylian] Mbappe but it seems like they have got that one over.

"If that goes off this summer and works out, then straight away their attention goes somewhere else – and the next best player in the world is Haaland. As a football fan, who wouldn’t want to see those two playing together? It’s a frightening prospect. But Man City are a really powerful club at the moment, they are champions of Europe and will be challenging again this season, so he’s already at potentially the best team in the world. Madrid do tend to get their way, so it’s a case of how long it takes them.”

For now, Haaland is focused on City’s defence of three major honours. He has recently returned from injury, with 19 goals to his name through 24 appearances, and will expect to come into contention for more individual honours if impressive standards can be maintained. He narrowly missed out to Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi in the last Ballon d’Or and FIFA Best Award votes.