Erling Haaland’s dad makes future Real Madrid transfer admission | OneFootball

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has seen his future once again tied to the idea of joining Real Madrid, with the latest comments coming from his father, Alf-Inge.

Haaland, 25, has been one of the most persistent subjects of Real Madrid speculation in European football over the past two years, with the Santiago Bernabeu widely reported as his long-standing dream destination despite the Norway international’s continued excellence at the Etihad Stadium since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2022.

Madrid’s interest in Haaland has been a recurring subplot throughout a summer window that has already seen the Spanish giants linked with several Manchester City assets, with the situation surrounding Rodri‘s future having previously occupied much of the transfer window’s early attention.

New City boss Enzo Maresca has been building his squad around the assumption that Haaland will form the centrepiece of his attack next season, with director of football Hugo Viana shaping the summer rebuild around a core that the club expects the striker to lead into the 2026-27 campaign.

The latest intervention in the Haaland-to-Madrid conversation comes from the most direct possible source, however, with the forward’s father and former Manchester City midfielder Alf-Inge speaking publicly on the subject for the first time in several months in comments that will inevitably fuel fresh speculation regardless of the reassurances they contain.

Alf-Inge: Anyone would want to play for Madrid

Speaking to DAZN, as translated and relayed by talkSPORT, prior to Norway’s 2-1 victory over Brazil in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 on Sunday, Alf-Inge was quizzed on the possibility of a future Real Madrid move for his son.

“He’s very happy at Manchester City and has a long contract,” said Alf-Inge – a statement that on the surface at least aligns with the position Manchester City have consistently maintained, and one that suggests no immediate move is under consideration from the player’s own camp.

However, it was the admission that followed that will attract greater scrutiny. “We’re waiting for the new season, but anyone would want to play for Madrid. You never know what can happen in football,” Alf-Inge added.

The phrasing is carefully constructed – a man who knows how transfer markets work choosing his words in a way that reassures without closing any door, acknowledging the universal appeal of the Santiago Bernabeu without committing his son to a specific ambition or timeline.

What does Alf-Inge’s admission mean for Man City’s plans?

The tone of Alf-Inge’s comments – and specifically the “you never know” qualifier – is unlikely to be dismissed by those at the Etihad Stadium as simply the words of a proud father, given the well-documented history of the Haaland family’s involvement in the player’s career decisions and the weight Erling himself is understood to attach to his father’s counsel.

For Maresca, the comments arrive at a moment when the club’s wider summer business is already well advanced, with the £116 million signing of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest representing the most significant investment of the window and further additions across several positions still being pursued before the season begins.

Losing Haaland to Real Madrid would represent a far more disruptive proposition than any of the exits Manchester City have navigated this summer, and it is one Viana and Maresca will be keen to ensure remains a theoretical discussion rather than a live negotiation – a sentiment that Alf-Inge’s words, at least in part, appear to support.

Whether Maresca’s first season in charge unfolds with Haaland at the heart of his attack remains, as his father so neatly put it, something no one in football can say with absolute certainty – but as things stand, the Norwegian’s happiness in Manchester and the length of his contract at the Etihad Stadium give City a stronger position than speculation might suggest.