Erling Haaland’s agent already piecing together transfer plans for day Man City exit is sought

• Norwegian moved to England in 2022
• Following in his father's footsteps
• Signed a five-year contract

WHAT HAPPENED? The prolific Norwegian striker is tied to a contract at the Etihad Stadium through to 2027, with the reigning Premier League champions snapping him up for £51 million ($61m) from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2022. Haaland has hit 33 goals for City through as many appearances, but he has made no secret of the fact that he is unlikely to stick around in England for a prolonged period of time, meaning that his representative continues to remain in contact with potential suitors.

WHAT THEY SAID: Pimenta has said at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit: “In my agency we try to make a plan. We have to make a plan. We need to have a goal. Maybe we won’t achieve it but if don’t know where we’re going for sure we don’t get there. Maybe we don’t get there anyhow, but at least we tried. We make plans even if you’re 15 years old. Then we’re not passive about it. We cannot be sitting down and waiting, maybe they will call me because Haaland is so fantastic, waiting for the call.

“The day the market [transfer window] finishes is the day I start visiting clubs to talk about players, to see what may be in the future. We are in February, I have already been to rounds of clubs four times this year. There are so many different clubs, we can be studying, who’s going to retire, who’s getting old, who’s injured, who’s doing bad. Maybe this will happen there. It’s like a chess game and you try to anticipate the next move.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Pimenta has explained why Haaland ended up at City over a number of other leading European clubs, with his name having been mentioned alongside the likes of Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain at various intervals: “Erling went to City because - you’d have to ask him, but my opinion is that there’s such a history of this family with City. You see pictures of Erling as a baby in the City jersey. So I find it only natural that he would want to experience what his father experienced. And of course very much above that is the fact he wanted to be with [Pep] Guardiola.”

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? Haaland has been a revelation for City, despite questions of his suitability to Guardiola’s preferred tactical system, and the Blues will be reluctant to part with a prized asset any time soon – while the ambitious 22-year-old is eager to get his hands on as many trophies as possible during his time in Manchester.