Manchester City announced in the early hours of Friday morning that they have secured the services of striker Erling Halaand for the next 9.5 years, likely keeping him at the Etihad Stadium for the majority of his career. By the time the contract expires in 2034, the striker will be 34 years old.
While financial details of the contract haven’t been disclosed, David Ornstein of The Athletic states that sources familiar with the deal confirm “it is among the most lucrative sporting contracts ever.”
Halaand has been nothing short of a sensation since his 2022 move from Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City, scoring 111 goals in 126 games and helping the club lift their first-ever UEFA Champions League trophy that season. He also lifted two Premier League trophies, an FA Cup, and a UEFA Super Cup since then.
Despite persistent rumors that Real Madrid were interested in signing him, the same sources say that Halaand is extremely happy in Manchester, and is known to have a tight-knit relationship with his team-mates and club staff — including chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.
Halaand commented on his new contract, saying: “I am really happy to have signed my new contract and to be able to look forward to spending even more time at this great Club.
“Manchester City is a special Club, full of fantastic people with amazing supporters and it’s the type of environment that helps bring the best out of everybody.
“I also want to thank Pep, his coaching staff, my teammates and everyone at the Club as they have all helped me so much in the past couple of years. They have made this such a special place to be and now I am City no matter what.
“I want to keep developing, keep working to get better and look to do my best to try and help us achieve more success going forward.”
