Manchester City have reportedly taken a giant step towards securing the signature of Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Braut Haaland by agreeing personal terms with the Norway international.
After another goal-laden season at the Westfalenstadion, Haaland was expected to be at the centre of a mammoth transfer tussle between Europe's leading clubs in the summer.
The likes of Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have all been tipped to battle for Haaland, but Man City and Real Madrid are now understood to be the two leading contenders.
However, with Carlo Ancelotti's side still prioritising a deal for PSG's Kylian Mbappe, City have been able to focus all their efforts on signing Haaland in a bid to finally replace Sergio Aguero.
A reported £68m release clause in Haaland's contract is set to become active in the summer, and Dortmund director Michael Zorc has hinted that the 21-year-old will end up in the Premier League.
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Now, Football Insider claims that the Premier League champions have come to an agreement over personal terms with Haaland and are now poised to activate his release clause.
The report adds that a transfer has been in the works for "many months" and City's Abu Dhabi owners have backed Pep Guardiola in their bid to win the race for the Scandinavian starlet.
Haaland's agent Mino Raiola tragically died at the age of 54 at the end of April, but his death is not believed to have led to a hold-up in negotiations.
Leeds-born Haaland is therefore poised to follow in the footsteps of his father Alf-Inge Haaland, who spent three years with City between 2000 and 2003 but only made 45 appearances for the club during that spell.
The former Red Bull Salzburg man has gone from strength to strength this season with 28 goals and eight assists in 28 appearances for BVB in all competitions, despite missing a large chunk of the campaign through injury.
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Haaland's fitness issues have restricted him to just 19 starts in the Bundesliga this term, but he has still managed 21 goals in 22 league matches, placing him third in the scoring charts behind Robert Lewandowski and Patrick Schick.
The Norway international netted all three of his side's goals in a 4-3 loss to Bochum last weekend but is a doubt for today's meeting with Greuther Furth due to illness.
In total, Haaland has amassed a staggering 85 goals and 23 assists from 87 games in a Dortmund shirt since arriving in January 2020 and is the first and only Bundesliga player to score five goals in his first two games in the competition.
A distinct lack of a centre-forward since Aguero's departure has seen Guardiola tinker with the likes of Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling and Ferran Torres in a central role, although the latter completed a January switch to Barcelona.
Gabriel Jesus has since impressed in that position with six goals and two assists in his last six games in all competitions, and City would reportedly demand a fee of £40m to sell the Arsenal-linked Brazilian.
Ben Knapton
