Shaking up European football! Real Madrid targets snatching Haaland from Manchester City to join forces with Mbappé to revive the team crisis.
On 16 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Florentino Pérez, president of Real Madrid, set a key objective to bring Erling Haaland, the star striker of Manchester City, to the team in the summer of 2026.
Currently, Real Madrid is facing a performance crisis on the field, with only two trophies left to fight for: La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, despite having a roster full of superstars. The Madrid board has begun reviewing the team structure and planning a major squad reinforcement, including bringing back Niko Pašaj to the club, strengthening defense and midfield, and seeking a new number 9 striker—with Haaland as the top target.
According to Florian Plettenberg, a tier-1 journalist from Sky Germany, Real Madrid's top executives have been in continuous contact with Haaland's agent, Rafaela Pimenta. The player views Santiago Bernabéu as his dream destination and is open to transferring despite his contract with Manchester City running until 2034.
However, this deal hinges on a crucial condition: the departure of Vinícius Júnior, who has only 18 months left on his contract and has yet to renew. If Vinícius moves to the Premier League within the next 12–18 months, Madrid will fully pursue Haaland and shift Kylian Mbappé to the left wing.
Haaland's transfer fee is expected to exceed 150 million euros, but Pérez sees him as the “savior.” If this deal happens, it would truly ignite the Galácticos 2.0 era.