Man City CONFIRM Erling Haaland transfer after triggering Borussia Dortmund sensation’s £51m release clause

MANCHESTER CITY have CONFIRMED the signing of Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.

The 21-year-old will join the club on July 1 in what is sure to be the biggest transfer of the year.

After failing in his bid to sign England captain Harry Kane last summer, Pep Guardiola has finally got his striker.

Goal machine Haaland will line up in the Premier League next season after the club activated his release clause.

A City statement said: "Manchester City can confirm we have reached an agreement in principle with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of striker Erling Haaland to the Club on 1st July 2022.

"The transfer remains subject to the Club finalising terms with the player."

Contrary to prior reports, the transfer fee is expected to only be £51m, a snip for one of the planet's most prolific goalscorers.

That figure is set to rise to £85m when agent fees and signing on fees are included.

Haaland is also not set to break City's wage structure in his blockbuster arrival at the Etihad.

The Norwegian international will earn around £375,000-a-week, the same as Kevin De Bruyne, according to .

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City defender Aymeric Laporte hilariously welcomed Haaland to the club on Twitter, joking: "Happy not to be running after this guy for the next couple of years. Welcome Erling."

Guardiola all but confirmed the deal earlier today but admitted he was BANNED from talking about the move by both City and Dortmund.

The Spanish coach will be hoping Haaland will be the man to deliver the club the much coveted Champions League trophy.

And based on his record in the competition, you wouldn't bet against it.

Haaland has scored 23 goals in the Champions League, finding the back of the net on average ever 64 MINUTES.

It's the best minutes per goal record out of anyone in the history of the competition to score 20 or more goals.

Haaland is the quickest player to reach the 20-goal mark in the Champions League, doing so in just 14 matches, 10 games less than Spurs striker Kane who is second fastest.

Since joining Dortmund from Red Bell Salzburg in January 2020, Haaland has scored an incredible 85 goals in 88 games for the Bundesliga club.

He will follow in father Alf-Inge's footsteps by playing for City.

A boyhood Leeds United fan, another of his dad's former sides, Haaland will be lining up on the other side of the Pennines to Elland Road come the start of next season.

Haaland's bargain release clause had led to interest from a host of Europe's top clubs.

He had been linked with a move to City's cross-town rivals Manchester United last summer but a move failed to ever materialise.

Real Madrid had also been monitoring his situation before pulling the plug on a potential transfer.

Elsewhere the likes of Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea were all been mentioned as in for Haaland.

Reports in Belgium claimed Haaland successfully completed his medical in a Brussels hospital on Monday after being granted time off by Dortmund for "personal matters".

He was joined at the Erasmus Hospital in the Belgian capital by City doctors before returning to Germany on Monday afternoon.