Manchester City to Activate Erling Haaland’s Release Clause

What has long been a forgone conclusion has finally become a reality: Erling Haaland will leave Borussia Dortmund at the end of the 2021-22 season and join Pep Guardiola at Manchester City of the English Premier League. Earlier today, Manchester City informed BVB’s front office of their intentions to activate Haaland’s release clause after the Norwegian striker cleared his medical exam in Manchester.

Haaland will play his final game with Borussia Dortmund next weekend before departing for the North of England over the summer. Haaland will earn around €30 million per year, and will have a chance to compete for the Premier League title alongside players like Kevin de Bruyne, Phil Foden, and Raheem Sterling. Borussia Dortmund will receive between €60-70 million from Manchester City.

Haaland’s time with Borussia Dortmund will most likely be remembered as a mixed bag. He broke into the Bundesliga like a meteorite, scoring a hat trick in just 33 minutes in his debut against FC Augsburg. He helped Dortmund win a DFB Pokal trophy under Edin Terzic, and had several notable moments against massive opponents like Bayern Munich and PSG. Unfortunately, his time with BVB was also marred by constant injuries and what was often a mediocre squad surrounding him.

Haaland was never going to stay around forever: BVB’s front office ensured that when they gave him a release clause, and he was probably never going to join in the first place if they hadn’t done so. It’s now up to management to find a suitable cast of attackers to replace him... and whoever they find will have massive shoes to fill.