Report: Erling Haaland fight looms as Man City discover how much the Borussia Dortmund’s striker will cost

Manchester City must reportedly pay a whopping €315m (£265m) in total if they are to sign Erling Haaland in 2022.

The Borussia Dortmund’s striker is reportedly Pep Guardiola’s ‘primary striker target’ as he looks for a new No 9 after the departure of Sergio Aguero last summer.

The Norwegian has become one of the most sought-after players in the transfer market since making his breakthrough at Red Bull Salzburg a couple of years ago.

Haaland, who remains under contract with the Black and Yellow until 2024, has already netted 13 goals in 10 appearances for Dortmund this term despite injury concerns.

Such remarkable progress in Germany has invariably put the Norwegian goal machine on the radars of many European football clubs, with Manchester City, Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid among his suitors.

The 21-year-old striker has a release clause that activates in 2022. But it appears that this transfer fee, believed to be around €75m plus bonuses, is only just half the battle for any side looking to sign Haaland next year.

However, according to Sky Sports, Dortmund are hoping to delay that clause until 2023 and double Haaland’s current salary as a sweetener to remain with the club.

The report suggests that Haaland will be offered a double-your-money contract offer of around €18m, twice as much as his existing €9m-per-year deal.

The transfer fee seems affordable for top clubs, but the player’s high salary and hefty commission to his advisor, Mino Raiola, would see the entire package cost around €315m (£265m).

Haaland has a tough choice to make next summer as there will be many suitors and a lot of money thrown around.

German transfer expert Max Bielefeld believes “City is the hottest candidate”, as hefty wages and agent fees have ruled out the likes of Bayern Munich and City’s Premier League rivals from making a move.

“City is the hottest candidate for me. They are looking for a striker next summer and have not gotten Harry Kane. The necessary change would also be there,” Max Bielefeld said.

Man City will have to do their utmost to prise Erling Haaland away from Dortmund. He would likely fetch close to the current world record transfer fee of £198million which was paid by Paris Saint-Germain to land Neymar in 2017.