There has been speculation for months about the 21-year-old’s future, and in recent weeks rumors of a possible move to City have increased.
A statement from City on Tuesday said: “Manchester City can confirm that we have reached an agreement in principle with Borussia Dortmund on the transfer of striker Erling Haaland to the club on July 1, 2022.
“The transfer remains subject to the conditions that the club concludes with the player.”
City will reportedly pay the Norwegian’s €60 million (around $63 million) escape clause, ending the EPL champion’s search for a striker following the departure of record scorer Sergio Aguero last summer.
The news of Haaland’s imminent move to the Etihad is ominous for City’s rivals, as a lack of a forward lead has been a relative weakness for Pep Guardiola’s side this season, even as the club still lead the league.
Norwegian international Haaland has scored 85 goals in 88 appearances for Dortmund since he switched from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020.
He got off to a fruitful start to his Bundesliga career – scoring a hat-trick on his debut – and speculation about his next move has followed him throughout his two-and-a-half-year stay in Germany.
The striker will follow in his father’s footsteps after former midfielder Alf-Inge Haaland played for City between 2000 and 2003.
Born in the English city of Leeds in 2000, Haaland grew up in Bryne, Norway, reaching the junior ranks of the city’s football club.
A move to Molde followed in 2017, and two years later he joined Salzburg, exploding on the world stage with 29 goals in 27 games, including eight in one Champions League group stage.
