Haaland's Real Madrid move collapses but Leeds United dream keeps transfer door open

Erling Haaland will not be joining Real Madrid this summer after club president Florentino Perez confirmed his planned record signing is a midfielder from outside the Premier League — explicitly ruling out the Manchester City striker. The development ends months of speculation fuelled by presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme, who had promised to sign Haaland if he won the election. Perez claimed 64.8 per cent of the vote to Riquelme’s 35.2 per cent.

Riquelme had publicly claimed Haaland “has a release clause and would like to join Real Madrid,” going as far as to say: “If I become president, he will play for Real Madrid.” City responded sharply, stating: “There is no chance of this happening and there is no contractual clause to enable it,” and adding they were considering legal action over the use of their player’s image. Haaland’s father Alf-Inge and agent Rafaela Pimenta issued a joint statement dismissing the claims as “all very entertaining but not true.”

Perez moved to settle the matter directly. “It’s not Haaland,” he said, confirming Real’s record offer — described as “at least around 150 million euros” — is targeted at a player from outside England’s top flight.

With the Madrid chapter closed for now, attention turns to a longer-held ambition. Speaking to Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten in 2017 while still at Molde, Haaland said: “I want to be the best. The dream is to win the Premier League with Leeds.” The sentiment carries personal weight: his father Alf-Inge represented Leeds between 1997 and 2000, and Haaland was born in the city during that spell.

Haaland is also reported to support Daniel Farke’s side. When Manchester City beat Leeds 3-1 at Elland Road in 2022 — a game in which Haaland scored twice but notably did not celebrate — he reflected afterwards: “With my father in the stands over there, it’s special. It’s my craziest fantasy that I could be at Elland Road and score for Manchester City against Leeds.”

Leeds are currently in the EFL Championship, meaning any move would require either a return to the Premier League or Haaland’s willingness to drop a division — scenarios that remain firmly in the realm of sentiment for now. For City supporters, the immediate picture is clear: their record-breaking striker is staying at the Etihad Stadium this summer.