Erling Haaland responds to Manchester City transfer rumour with two-word statement | OneFootball

Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has shut down suggestions of the club signing a new goalkeeper through his own personal efforts.

It comes just days after Manchester City crashed out of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at the hands of Saudi Pro League giants Al Hilal, who overcame two fight-backs from their Premier League opponents to secure victory in extra-time.

Bernardo Silva had put City ahead inside 10 minutes before two quick-fire goals inside the first six minutes of the second-half put Al Hilal ahead, before an Erling Haaland equaliser moved the game into 30 minutes of extra-time.

Kalidou Koulibaly would then restore Al Hilal’s lead only for Phil Foden to combine with Rayan Cherki for a sumptuous equaliser, before Marcos Leonardo would win the last-16 tie in the dying minutes of the game to set-up a quarter-final clash with Fluminense.

Manchester City certainly had their fair share of chances throughout the course of the original 90 minutes, but were successively denied by an inspired performance from Al Hilal’s highly-experienced Moroccan shot-stopper Yassine Bounou.

After the game, striker Erling Haaland appeared to greet the 34-year-old on the pitch, with television cameras capturing their interaction, leading many fans online to the conclusion that the City forward had jokingly told the goalkeeper to move to the Etihad Stadium.

However, responding to claims on social media early this week, Haaland has labelled suggestions that he told Bounou to join Manchester City as ‘not true’, issuing the message on Instagram.

Discussions around possible transfer interest from the side of Manchester City come at a time when mainstay number one choice goalkeeper Ederson is facing intensifying scrutiny from the club’s online fanbase following his performances at the FIFA Club World Cup.

An individual mistake leading directly to Juventus’ initial equaliser in the group stage was followed by a far-from convincing showing against Al Hilal, in which Ederson made his first save in the 112th minute but conceded his fourth goal of the match in the same action.

Manchester City have been linked with transfer interest in the likes of FC Porto’s Diogo Costa as well as Lille’s Lucas Chevalier, while both Ederson and Stefan Ortega Moreno have been facing media reports concerning their uncertain futures at the Etihad Stadium this summer.

From the side of Ederson however, the Brazil international has already made his feelings known regarding his club future, as he told reporters in the United States last month, “My future is here [at Manchester City].

“Some friends send me a lot of news but 99 per cent is fake. There’s a lot of fake news around my name. My head is staying at the club. It stays with Man City. It gives me everything to go back to the Premier League again and try to win the Champions League as well.”