Haaland's father named six clubs his son could join as City face relegation threat

Erling Haaland’s father Alf-Inge has previously admitted his son will not spend his entire career at Manchester City, naming six clubs he could join — remarks that have taken on fresh significance after City were found guilty on 114 of the 115 financial rule breach charges they faced, leaving the club potentially facing points deductions, trophy strippings, or even relegation.

Speaking in the 2022 documentary Haaland: The Big Decision, Alf-Inge laid out a vision of his son touring Europe’s top leagues in multi-year stints. “I think Erling wants to prove his abilities in all leagues,” the former Premier League midfielder said. “Then he can stay there for three or four years at the most. He could be, for example, two-and-a-half years in Germany, two-and-a-half years in England and then in Spain, Italy, France, right?”

The 53-year-old went further, ranking the clubs he believed Erling would consider. “On our list, I think City is the best team. Munich is number two. We have Real Madrid as number three, Paris Saint-Germain as number four. We also have some English teams other than City who are quite good — Liverpool and Chelsea. Also, there is Barcelona. They are sort of in the same row.”

The timeline Alf-Inge sketched in 2022 would place a potential departure around the end of the current season, though Erling himself signed a contract extension in 2025 that ties him to City until 2034. Real Madrid and Barcelona have both previously registered interest in the striker, and City’s legal situation may give either club fresh motivation to pursue him.

Haaland, 26, has not yet commented publicly on the charges verdict. He was withdrawn from media duties ahead of Norway’s international fixture against Portugal, with TV2 reporting that Benfica pair Andreas Schjelderup and Fredrik Aursnes replaced him in front of the cameras.

When he signed his extended deal last year, Haaland was emphatic about his commitment to the club. “It has been amazing, and it’s been like a dream these past two and a half years,” he said. “I’m going to stay for a long time so now I can fully focus on getting better — full focus on performing and getting better and to give all the fans what they want.”

Whether that commitment holds in the wake of the most serious sanctions in English football history remains to be seen.