Man City announce extraordinary Erling Haaland contract extension as 24-year-old chases seismic records

The 24-year-old's existing terms were due to expire in the summer of 2027 and were understood to have included a release clause of around £175m, putting Real Madrid on red alert for a future move.

However, Los Blancos' bid to lure Haaland away from the Etihad is now in tatters thanks to one of the most astonishing contracts in professional football, which will keep the Scandinavian in Manchester until just before his 34th birthday.

Haaland is also now said to be earning the highest-ever salary for a Premier League player, and while the former Borussia Dortmund man's renewal still includes a release clause, it is supposedly set at an unspecified 'very high' amount.

"I am really happy to have signed my new contract and to be able to look forward to spending even more time at this great Club," Haaland told the official Man City website. "Manchester City is a special Club, full of fantastic people with amazing supporters and it's the type of environment that helps bring the best out of everybody.

Haaland: 'I am City no matter what'

"I also want to thank Pep, his coaching staff, my teammates and everyone at the Club as they have all helped me so much in the past couple of years. They have made this such a special place to be and now I am City no matter what.

"I want to keep developing, keep working to get better and look to do my best to try and help us achieve more success going forward."

Haaland followed in the footsteps of his father Alf-Inge Haaland when he joined Man City from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, and just one year later, he broke the record for the most goals scored in a Premier League season with an unprecedented 36 in 35 games.

After driving City to a tremendous treble that year, the 24-year-old retained the Golden Boot in the 2023-24 season as City successfully defended their title, and despite the Citizens' troubles in the 2024-25 campaign, he boasts a terrific 21 strikes from 28 matches in all tournaments.

All in all, Haaland has had a direct hand in a remarkable 126 goals in 126 games for Man City - 111 of his own and 15 assists - and in September, he notched his 100th City goal in just 105 games, matching the one-club European record set by Cristiano Ronaldo.

"Everyone at the Club is absolutely delighted that Erling has signed his new contract. The fact he is signed for so long demonstrates our commitment to him as a player, and his love of this club," director Txiki Begiristain added.

"He has made an incredible impact already in his time here and his amazing numbers and records speak for themselves. But in addition to his outstanding natural talent and ability, Erling's dedication, professionalism, humility and desire to keep getting better sum up what we all strive to achieve at Manchester City.

"He is one of the finest strikers in world football, but Erling is still very young and will only continue to improve working under Pep and his coaching team. If he works hard, which I know he will, he will create an incredible legacy at this football club. Now he can focus on his game and continuing to play a huge part in helping us try to achieve even more success."

What records could Haaland break after incredible Man City renewal?

Man City fans' Friday just got a whole lot better.

In truth, there should never have been any serious doubts about where Haaland's long-term future lay, even if City's fellow European powerhouses were always going to cast a watchful eye over his contract situation.

However, it will now take an eye-watering, potentially world-record sum to lure the Norwegian away from the Etihad, where if he stays for the full duration of his contract, he will continue to overhaul legends at the top of various charts.

The most obvious record for Haaland to break is the all-time Premier League goals tally of 260 held by Alan Shearer; he currently has 79 strikes from 87 matches, averaging 0.90 goals per game in England's top flight.

To reach the unrivalled 261 mark, Haaland would need to play 290 Premier League games if he continues to score at his current rate, meaning that he could be on track to break the record within six or seven seasons.

Haaland will no doubt have Sergio Aguero's club record of 260 Man City goals in his sights too - around 285 games would do the trick in that regard - and do not be surprised to see him crack the top five for all-time Citizens appearances either, although Alan Oakes's 676 might remain safe.

Furthermore, the Norwegian already averages over a goal per game in the Champions League - 46 from 45 matches - and another decade of consistent scoring in Europe's top division would put Ronaldo's record of 140 under threat.

Of course, this is all dependent on Man City avoiding expulsion from the Premier League and other severe sanctions relating to their 115 charges, but even if Pep Guardiola's side do have the book thrown at them, Haaland will seemingly remain in sky blue for life.

Written by

Ben Knapton