Erling Haaland has dominated the headlines for months now, and rightfully so, as Europe's biggest clubs compete to land the Norwegian sensation. Man City are one of many continental powerhouses in the race to sign the 20-year-old, with Pep Guardiola making an admission that will give fans hope of seeing the striker at the Etihad Stadium.
The former RB Salzburg talent broke on to the scene last season with his Austrian side before making the switch to Dortmund in January 2020. Since then, he has gone from strength to strength, scoring a whopping 33 goals in 32 appearances this term.
Furthermore, he became the youngest and quickest player to reach the 20-goal mark in the UEFA Champions League, adding to his name. However, with the player's agent Mino Raiola being spotted in Barcelona and Madrid, City are fully aware of the interest in Haaland.
One of the biggest hurdles facing the Citizens is the asking price. Man City are a rich and well-back club, but the Premier League leaders have a rule against spending £100M ($139M) or more on a single player, which is an issue as Dortmund will only entertain the idea of selling the Norwegian if an offer of $212.5M is tabled.
However, with Sergio Aguero set to leave the club this summer and the Citizens in need of a replacement for the iconic Argentine goalscoring machine, Pep hinted that the Etihad Stadium higher-ups might break tradition in the near future.
"So far, the club has decided not to spend close to £100m for a player," Guardiola said, as per the Daily Mail.
"Maybe in the future it will happen when the club decides it is necessary to improve the team for the next five to 10 years. The organisation has so far decided not to and that is why we haven't. Maybe in the future.
"Spending a lot of money on one player doesn't give you an advantage to win. Football is a team game, everyone makes a contribution. Competitions are not won by one player, it is every player."
Interestingly enough, these quotes came on the eve of Man City's UEFA Champions League clash with Dortmund. Pep's rock-solid defense, led by Ruben Dias and John Stones, will be tasked with keeping Haaland at bay as the Premier League table-toppers look to book their spot in the semi-finals.
Some suggest that the club will find it hard to sign the Dortmund forward due to Guardiola's rocky relationship with Mino Raiola but it will be interesting to see how things fare. As for the player, Pep refused to be drawn into comments out of respect but hailed his abilities ahead of Tuesday's showdown.
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