Liverpool could get huge boost as Erling Haaland 'makes decision' on Man City future

Liverpool, like the rest of the Premier League, is already long since sick of the sight of Erling Haaland. But if one report is to be believed, it might not have to put up with him for too much longer .

Compared to most of its rivals, Liverpool got an early taste of Haaland's brilliance. The onrunning joke is that the Reds signed the wrong scorer off the back of a 4-3 win against Red Bull Salzburg in 2019; the Norwegian found the net that day, but it was Takumi Minamino who ended up at Anfield .

Of course, those two transfers were far from comparable operations, and Minamino ultimately more than paid back his modest fee and wages with significant cup contributions in the double-winning 2021/22 season. Even so, given what has transpired, every club wishes that it was they rather than Manchester City who brought Haaland to England.

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The one comfort as Haaland has set about shattering records and breaking title challenges (mostly Arsenal's, in fairness) is that his stay has never looked especially likely to be a permanent one. There have been persistent links to Real Madrid and Barcelona , while there was at one time a release clause in his Etihad deal, although it's thought that has been removed .

Clause or not, there is a long-standing feeling that Haaland and his camp have meticulously plotted out his career course, on which Manchester City is no more than a stop. And according to one claim, change could be afoot as soon as this summer.

Per Catalan outlet El Nacional , Haaland has already decided his next destination. He is "ready to take the next big step".

While the specific club is not named, it's claimed that it will not be PSG. Despite pivoting toward a model more focused on young, homegrown talent, the Parisian giant had apparently prepared a mega-offer for Haaland, but he has rejected it.

That only leaves a handful of alternatives, with the big two in Spain the likeliest contenders. Real Madrid pairing Haaland and Kylian Mbappe would be quite the sight, while Barcelona will be thinking about Robert Lewandowski succession planning — although it would presumably need to get its finances in better order before La Liga would sign off on a deal of this magnitude.

Liverpool and Arsenal would be particularly relieved to see Haaland leave the Premier League. Manchester City was formidable before the striker's arrival and will no doubt weather his departure too, but the loss of such a talent could only ever be welcome news for rivals.

Liverpool.com says: Just take a look at the start of this season. In many ways, Manchester City has been far from convincing, but an explosive start for Haaland has been enough for second place in the table.

He single-handedly got Man City off the hook against West Ham and Brentford early on, for instance. Liverpool and Arsenal will be hoping the report is accurate, and Haaland is off to terrorize another league before long.