Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that there is a release clause in Erling Haaland’s new ten-year Manchester City contract.
Haaland has cemented himself as one of the best strikers in the world since his £51m move to Man City from Borussia Dortmund in 2022,
The ridiculous striker has already broken a few records at the Etihad and he looks likely to remain in the Premier League for a long time.
24-year-old Haaland has 120 goals in 138 appearances for Man City and has been sporadically linked with potential moves to FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in recent years.
Haaland silenced transfer talk by penning an extraordinary ten-year contract at the end of 2024, committing to Man City until 2034.
However, the exit door remains slightly ajar as Romano has confirmed that there is a release clause in his current deal.
“When Erling Haaland signed a new 10-year deal at Man City, I was telling you that Haaland also had a release clause in his contract,” Romano said on his YouTube channel.
“Then there were conflicting reports about that, some sources denying this information, other sources confirming. What I can tell you once again today is that my understanding is that yes, there is a release clause in the contract of Haaland at Man City.
“But it’s also important to clarify that the clause is not for now, so forget about Haaland this summer or even next summer leaving with a release clause.
“At the moment, the situation for this summer is absolutely not in doubt, but there is a release clause for the future, so for the next years.
“Similar to the situation when he signed for Man City from Borussia Dortmund, there was already a clause, not an instant clause for the first or second season. A similar situation for this clause.
“Haaland signed a new deal at Man City because he’s happy, because he believes in the project, because he feels very good with the club, with the city, with people close to him, with [Pep] Guardiola, with the management.”
Romano has also ruled out the possibility of Man City performing a U-turn on Kevin De Bruyne’s future.
“De Bruyne is leaving Man City, that’s 100 per cent sure. Man City will not go back on their decision, so De Bruyne will leave the club as a free agent,” Romano added.
“I’m not aware of De Bruyne discussing with Como. Como are really ambitious, Como want to sign important players, Como want to continue with Cesc Fabregas, that’s the indication, but De Bruyne is not a target for Como. They are not even talking.
“The MLS club really pushing to sign De Bruyne is Chicago Fire. Chicago want to sign a superstar. They wanted Neymar in January, [but that] was not possible because he decided to go to Santos. They want De Bruyne now.
“Meanwhile, De Bruyne is also open to discussing with European clubs, so De Bruyne will now have conversations with European clubs. Otherwise, he has an option in MLS.
“We had some reports on Chelsea maybe being interested in re-signing De Bruyne, but my understanding is that Chelsea are not negotiating with De Bruyne. Chelsea are not in advanced talks with De Bruyne, Chelsea are not working on this deal as of today, and I don’t see this as a concrete possibility.”