David Ornstein has been speaking on the latest episode of The Ornstein & Chapman Podcast, where he discussed Manchester City’s pursuit of a new striker this summer.
Pep Guardiola’s side have been in impressive form this season. Despite local rivals Manchester United ending their 21-game winning run over the weekend, the Citizens still claim an 11-point gap over the Red Devils at the top of the Premier League table.
The Etihad Stadium outfit remain in contention to win the quadruple, and what has been even more impressive is the fact they’ve had this success without star striker Sergio Aguero.
After spending 10 trophy-laden years on English soil, it appears Aguero’s days are numbered at City. The South American’s contract runs out in the coming months, and after only managing 331 minutes of first-team action all season, it appears Guardiola is already planning for the future.
That has led to speculation over who could be brought in to replace City’s record goalscorer, with Ornstein confirming Erling Haaland, one of Europe’s most exciting young talents, is on the shortlist.
He said: “It goes without saying that somebody like Erling Haaland is being considered as well. What we weren’t sure about at the time with him was whether Mino Raiola’s involvement would potentially bring City’s hopes down because he’s had a bit of a tempestuous history with City, with Pep Guardiola, with Txiki Begiristain.
“But I’m assured that really, it’s his father, the former Man City player Alf-Inge, who kind of runs the show, or is more influential, and so that wouldn’t be such an issue.
“I think the bigger issue with that is that there are going to be so many clubs fighting for his signature, it’s going to drive the price up this summer because there’s no release clause, which comes into play in 2022 – €75m. His wages, I think, would be fine.”
TIF Thoughts on Haaland…
There’s no doubting that the Borussia Dortmund man has a huge future ahead of him. Alongside Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe, the Norweigian is tipped by many to take over from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the sports most iconic stars in the coming years.
Seeing the 20-year-old – who has no fewer than 29 goals in 28 appearances this year – perform week in week out in the Premier League under Guardiola’s tutelage would therefore be an exciting prospect for all football fans and one we’d love to see happen.
However, whether it’s a genuine possibility this summer remains to be seen. The financial impact of the pandemic is set to hit football clubs hard, and it’s unlikely that City can afford what would be a very expensive outlay just yet.