Manchester City centre-forward Erling Haaland could reportedly leave the club next summer after they were hit with 115 charges relating to their finances.
The shock announcement came on Monday, with the Premier League mounting charges against the club from between 2009 and 2018.
If found guilty, the probe could have serious ramifications for the Cityzens, as anything from fines to their expulsion from the top flight is possible.
Indeed, the accusations have allegedly led to major problems behind the scenes at City.
Pep Guardiola also said that he would ‘quit’ if the club’s hierarchy ‘lied’ to him about their finances, so everything is up in the air at the moment.
In 2020, following a UEFA investigation, the manager said: “When Manchester City is accused of something, like skipping the Financial Fair Play, I ask the board.
“They explain it to me and I believe them. But I tell them ‘if you’re lying to me, I’ll leave and I won’t be a friend anymore.’”
There have reportedly already been breakdowns in the relationship between Guardiola and his players this season, with rumours he and Joao Cancelo were involved in a bust-up before he joined Bayern Munich on a shock deadline-day move.
One thing that isn’t in doubt though, is the sheer quality of Haaland. The striker has already scored a staggering 25 goals in 20 league appearances this season, looking set to break Alan Shearer and Andy Cole’s joint record of 34 in a single Premier League campaign.
Haaland has a ‘terrible’ relationship with Guardiola
However, as reported by TEAMtalk on Wednesday, there are rumours that Guardiola never wanted Haaland at City at all and now it seems that the Norway international is already looking for a way out of the Etihad.
This is according to Spanish outlet Nacional, who state the forward is ‘already questioning whether he made the best possible decision by going to the Etihad Stadium.’
Despite his tremendous scoring record, some pundits have suggested in recent days that Haaland’s presence actually makes them a worse team.
City currently find themselves five points behind league leaders Arsenal, who also have a game in hand on them, so there is a good chance they will miss out on winning another title this season.
The report adds that Haaland’s current relationship with Guardiola is ‘terrible,’ and that he is looking for a ‘change of scenery before his €200m release clause activates in 2024.’
They also state that the Norweigan believes ‘his next challenge would be in La Liga.’
Real Madrid have previously registered an interest in the 22-year-old, but Barcelona are also in the race, with club president Joan Laporta ‘keeping an eye’ on his situation.
However, due to their ongoing financial situation, Real Madrid are still the favourites, if City do allow him to leave.
Ultimately, that could be down to what consequences come from the Premier League’s charges if the club are indeed found guilty.
SOURCE: teamtalk.com
