Manchester City threaten legal action over Real Madrid presidential candidate’s Erling Haaland transfer claims | OneFootball

A statement issued by Manchester City has threatened legal action over the use of Erling Haaland in Enrique Riquelme’s Real Madrid presidential campaign.

The unprecedented statement lands just as sporting director Hugo Viana and incoming manager Enzo Maresca attempt to anchor the first-team squad for a crucial period of preparation after Pep Guardiola’s departure.

While City’s recruitment team has been proactively working on midfield targets like Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, the club has been forced to momentarily shift its full focus toward protecting the club’s intellectual property and most valuable playing assets.

The controversy erupted on Wednesday night following a highly theatrical television appearance by Spanish businessman Enrique Riquelme, designed to destabilise the current boardroom structure at the Bernabéu.

The challenger chose brandish a ‘Haaland No.9’ club shirt, boldly asserting that the forward was actively angling for a move to Spain through a hidden loophole in his Manchester City agreement.

Given that the Norwegian marksman only recently signed a historic contract extension in January 2025 – binding him to the Etihad Stadium until 2034 – the hierarchy in East Manchester has moved with uncompromising authority to dismantle the narrative in Spain.

Manchester City’s blockbuster response to Enrique Riquelme

Now, as provided by The Athletic’s Sam Lee, a Manchester City statement threatened legal action on Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme and his claims surrounding the potential Bernabeu signing of Erling Haaland owing to a clause in his contract.

“The stories which have emerged from Spain regarding the future of Erling Haaland are untrue,” a club statement issued on Thursday morning read.

The statement continued, “There is no chance of this happening and there is no contractual clause to enable it.

“We are considering legal action for the use of our player image in this context.”

The Manchester Evening News’ Simon Bajkowski has also revealed that Manchester City’s stance on Rodri is that the Spaniard too is under contract at the club, and is being counted on for next season after the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

What had been said in Spain to spark the response?

The firm pushback from the Etihad Stadium stemmed from claims broadcast on Spanish television talk show El Hormiguero, when Enrique Riquelme stated, “[Erling] Haaland has a release clause and wants to join Real Madrid,” before pulling out a Real Madrid shirt with ‘Haaland 9’ emblazoned across the back.

In a bid to win votes, the candidate went on to say he would refund membership fees for all of Real Madrid’s 100,000+ members next season should he fail to deliver on his promise to sign the striker.

By explicitly clarifying no release mechanism exists to facilitate a La Liga move, Manchester City’s legal team could now prepare a formal cease-and-desist notice to permanently halt the candidate’s campaign.