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Erling Haaland could potentially move to Real Madrid—"maybe"—after his father refused to rule out the possibility when questioned about the Manchester City forward's future at the club.
Haaland, who is riding high this summer after Norway made national history by advancing to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time ever, is "happy" playing in England at present. But when it comes to Madrid, it appears to be a case of never say never.
"I don't want to discuss possibilities at other clubs too much. He's very happy at Manchester City, he has a lengthy contract, and we're looking ahead to the upcoming season," Alf-Inge Haaland told journalists at Norway's 2–1 World Cup victory over Brazil, in which his son netted both goals.
Haaland signed that deal running through 2034. But the nearly 26-year-old sensation has never hesitated to switch clubs in pursuit of career advancement and ambition, and the abrupt exit of manager Pep Guardiola at the close of 2025–26 has at least sparked questions. Another concern is what becomes of the club once a verdict is finally reached on the 115 Premier League charges hanging over them.
Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme had pledged to sign Haaland had he won last month's election. Haaland Sr. dismissed suggestions that his son was actively prepared to join Los Blancos at that point, and Manchester City even explored the possibility of legal action.
Yet even though Riquelme lost the vote and Haaland remains at City for the time being, the idea hasn't been completely dismissed.
"Everyone wants to play for Real Madrid and lift the Champions League. Would I like to see him at Real Madrid? Maybe, maybe," the father added, falling back on a familiar tactic in elite football of keeping every door open.
"There's always a chance in football, there are wonderful clubs in Spain and you never know, but right now he's content in England."
Real Madrid Would Have to Make Significant Room for Haaland
Haaland couldn't realistically join Real Madrid at this moment. Beyond the sheer financial scale of such a deal, fitting him into a squad already stretched to accommodate Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior simply wouldn't be feasible. Within the single-striker system that incoming manager José Mourinho has built his reputation on, the Norwegian would compete for the same role as Mbappé, meaning the Frenchman would likely need to shift to the right wing—where he began his career, but which seems highly improbable—or depart altogether.
The other tactical option would be deploying Haaland and Mbappé together in a 4-4-2. In that setup, Vinícius Jr. might also feature in a dangerously attack-heavy arrangement. The Brazilian is arguably the easiest to move on given his contract runs out in 2027 and he could be sold this summer. Even so, whether Haaland and Mbappé could genuinely function together would remain a serious question.
It is instructive to note how little Real Madrid actually achieved during both the first and second Galácticos eras, when assembling individual superstars was prioritized over collective success. In more recent times, Paris Saint-Germain serve as a clear example of how offloading marquee names—Mbappé, Neymar, Lionel Messi—can foster greater unity and cohesion, ultimately leading to silverware.
After David Beckham completed the original Galácticos roster in 2003, Real Madrid claimed just one Spanish Super Cup—within the opening two months—before the Englishman's final campaign in 2006–07. By that point, Ronaldo Nazário, Zinedine Zidane and Luís Figo had all already departed.
When Florentino Pérez returned to the presidency in 2009 and launched Galácticos 2.0 by shattering the transfer world record twice in a single summer to bring in Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo, the club captured La Liga and the Champions League just once each in the following six years. Kaká had left by 2013, and the dynasty that emerged was built on less glamorous—yet still world-class—players such as Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Luka Modrić, Dani Carvajal and Marcelo, as much as Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema.
What Haaland Gains From Man City Loyalty
Should Real Madrid choose to offload Mbappé in order to bring in Haaland, it could make for a compelling scenario. Despite posting extraordinary numbers, Mbappé has not been considered a resounding success in the eyes of supporters, having fallen out of favor amid concerns over his attitude, with his time at the club so far coinciding with two trophy-free seasons and a startling descent into internal turmoil.
Mbappé is contracted at the Bernabéu until 2029, so he is not tied to Real Madrid indefinitely.
But legendary status awaits Haaland should he remain at Manchester City.
The Norwegian already sits fourth on the club's all-time scoring charts, having netted 162 goals across his first four seasons—just 98 shy of all-time leader and City icon Sergio Agüero (260). Just two more seasons at his current output and Haaland would be knocking on the door of that record.
In the Premier League alone, Haaland has found the net 112 times. He is the competition's quickest player to reach a century of goals, achieving the milestone in just 111 appearances. Alan Shearer's record stands at 260—some distance away, but certainly within reach if Haaland, maintaining his current rate, remains for at least five more seasons.
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What could complicate matters—and potentially accelerate a hypothetical departure—is if sanctions against Manchester City lead to expulsion from the Premier League, or a points deduction so severe—potentially 60 points—that relegation becomes almost inevitable.
Juventus managed to persuade several high-profile players to remain following their enforced drop from Serie A as a consequence of Italy's 2006 calciopoli scandal. However, Alessandro del Piero, David Trezeguet and Pavel Nedvěd were considerably older than Haaland is today. A far more relevant comparison is striker Zlatan Ibrahimović, who was approaching his 25th birthday at the time and chose to move on.