Ben Palmer

Thu 24 April 2025 18:00, UK

Man City may look to cash in on Erling Haaland this summer to fund Pep Guardiola’s much needed rebuild after big-money news elsewhere.

The Sky Blues’ shocking fall from grace this season, until a recent revival, came after a summer transfer window in which only Savinho and Ilkay Gundogan joined on permanent deals.

The club performed emergency squad surgery in January by spending big on Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt, as well as doing deals for Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, and Nico Gonzalez.

Whilst results have improved, several key players are expected to leave this summer, and with further important work to be done to get City back on track they may look to part ways with their star player to facilitate an overhaul of their squad.

Man City need funds with Kevin De Bruyne, Ederson, Jack Grealish departures inbound

Premier League great Kevin De Bruyne will end his decade-long stay in Manchester this summer when his contract comes to an end, leaving Guardiola’s side in dire need of a new creator-in-chief.

Florian Wirtz has been heavily linked with Man City, whilst RB Leipzig’s talented Xavi Simons is also being considered as an option.

Both players would suit the way Guardiola likes to play, but given both are heavily sought after, any deal will not come cheap.

Jack Grealish has also been linked with an exit from Man City, having become increasingly unsettled since his move from Aston Villa, whilst Ederson is edging closer to a move to Al-Ittihad.

Past them, Bernardo Silva, Matheus Nunes, and James McAtee could also leave and given that few of the above players will recoup the huge fees that would be needed to fund star incomings, the Sky Blues’ fasted route would be to sacrifice the most valuable asset to fund their attempted rebuild.

Erling Haaland ‘number one’ target for Real Madrid as Vinicius Junior faces two-year ban

As reported by The Athletic, Vinicius Junior is yet to agree to a contract extension with Real Madrid amid heavy interest from the Saudi Pro League.

Not wanting to be caught off guard should the Brazilian star push for an exit, Haaland has been identified as the number one target as a replacement at the Santiago Bernabeu, despite the Norwegian’s nine-and-a-half year contract signed in January [Sky Sports].

Tactically, the move makes a lot of sense for Los Blancos. Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe have struggled to gel since the Frenchman joined from PSG, with both most comfortable on the left-wing.

Haaland joining Madrid would allow the former Monaco forward to move out wide, giving the France international more freedom whilst the Norwegian would undoubtedly benefit from playing ahead of some of world football’s best midfielders.

What’s more, as reported by Gianluca Di Marzio, Vinicius Jr is now facing a prospective two-year ban from football for his involvement in the acquisition of several football clubs, even if a transfer exit doesn’t materialise.

Despite signing a new contract that made him the highest-paid player in Europe in January, Madrid have never been shy when it comes to shelling out a big fee for a player they feel will make take their squad to the next level.

As uncomfortable as it may be for City fans, if Vinicius ends up out of the picture in Madrid this may be a can’t-miss opportunity to sell Haaland for a world record fee to then use the funds to completely rebuild a once all-conquering but aging side that looks to have been pushed one season too far.