Erling Haaland: Why new contract for Man City star would be "important symbolically" for life beyond Pep Guardiola?

Haaland has been labelled as the "best striker in the world" by McInerney and the striker's time at Man City has been nothing short of prolific, having scored 105 goals in 114 games across all competitions since joining in 2022.

The two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner is already leading the way at the top of the scoring charts this season with 12 goals in just 11 top-flight matches, while he has also scored three times in four Champions League fixtures this term.

Haaland is believed to be content at Man City, but speculation over a possible big-money move to La Liga has been mooted for some time amid reported interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona.

A recent report claims that Man City are growing increasingly optimistic about their chances of agreeing a bumper new contract with Haaland, whose current deal is due to expire in June 2027.

'Haaland extension would be a statement of intent from Man City'

The Citizens are said to be keen to hand Haaland a two-year contract extension and are prepared to increase his salary to around £500,000 per week, which would make him the highest-paid player in the Premier League.

However, one stumbling block is that Haaland's entourage are 'digging their heels in' and are demanding that their client's renewal includes a hefty release clause that could rise from £150m to £200m.

McInerney believes that it is essential for Man City that they tie Haaland down to a new deal, especially if manager Guardiola - who is out of contract next summer - were to leave the club in the near future.

"He's the best striker in the world, so we absolutely have to do it (agree a new deal for Haaland)," McInerney told Sports Mole.

"I think more than anything, it'd be important symbolically for life beyond Pep Guardiola. I think everyone knows that even if Pep stays [and] extends his contract, he won't be here in three years' time. It's almost certain that he'll be gone at that point.

"City locking down their players would be a statement of intent to show that it isn't Guardiola or nothing, that we have to move on as a team, as a club, after a decade of Pep.

"I think more than anything, it'd be the symbolism of that. I think extending the contracts of your world-class players, even if your manager doesn't plan to stay long term, would be a really positive statement from City.

'Haaland has the conviction to carry on winning without Guardiola'

"I think a lot has been made about Haaland only doing a short stint at City [and then] potentially moving on. I don't think that'll be the case.

"I think City create such a healthy environment for footballers to be in, and I think they treat them like adults, they respect them, and they're very open and transparent about their future at City. I think that tends to lead to players being here for a pretty long time if they're in the team, and obviously if they're winning as well, that tends to help.

"I don't think it's a coincidence that City have had several players that have been here several years, if not pushing a decade, because I think it's a really nice place to play football, and I suspect Haaland feels that."

Asked whether Guardiola's long-term future at Man City will have any bearing on Haaland's decision to commit his future to the club, McInerney added: "Potentially. I still feel like [player and manager contract negotiations are] all independent of each other to an extent.

"I do think footballers and managers - as much as they look around at who's going to sign and who isn't going to sign - I do think they're all on their own path, and I think there's an inherent belief in what they can and can't do.

"I think it helps if Guardiola's going to stay for people like Haaland, but I still believe that they have conviction in themselves to carry on winning even without Pep. I don't think they're going to be like: 'Oh, we won't win anymore so I won't sign'.

"I think Pep would stay even if Haaland doesn't signed a new contract as well, so I don't think they're going to bleed into each other too much in terms of what the others will do. It's always easier if everyone puts their faith in the club at the same time. It makes it very easy to follow the others."

Haaland, who remained coy on his future when questioned by the media earlier this year, has been in fine form during November's international break, having scored four goals for Norway across two UEFA Nations League games against Slovenia and Kazakhstan, netting a hat-trick in a 5-0 win over the latter last weekend to move him onto 38 goals in 39 games for his country.