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Amid a challenging season, Manchester City helped secure a key part of its future Friday.
Star striker Erling Haaland signed a record-breaking nine-and-a-half-year contract extension with the club that will keep him in its uniform until 2034.
The 24-year-old’s current contract, which he signed when he joined the club in 2022, wasn’t set to expire until 2027. More importantly, Haaland’s new contract comes without the release clauses his previous one did, ensuring he will spend the majority of his career with Manchester City.
“I am looking forward to staying here for a long time,” Haaland said in a release. “In the end, speaking with the people I spoke with, the hunger and the support that I have been getting for the last couple of years from the board, from the bosses and from [coach] Pep [Guardiola], it was an easy decision. I am delighted.”
Since joining the club in 2022 from Borussia Dortmund, Haaland has scored 111 goals in 125 appearances including a Premier League record 36 goals in the 2022–2023 season.
He’s currently 61st all-time in Premier League scoring with 79 goals and 87 matches and is on pace to break Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer’s record of 260 by the 2029–2030 season, if he keeps his current pace.
Specifics of the deal weren’t publicly disclosed, but CBS Sports reported the deal could be worth $610,000 a week, which equates to nearly $32 million annually and more than $300 million for the entirety of the contract. Sources told ESPN it’s among the most lucrative deals in sports history,
The deal surpasses the nine-year extension Cole Palmer signed with Chelsea in August as the longest in Premier League history.
Haaland, who hails from Norway, signed the contract at a time when Manchester City is struggling in the standings and could face reregulation as the result of an active dispute with the league over financial mismanagement. A ruling is expected this year and could come before the end of the Premier League season, which concludes in May.
Guardiola said Haaland’s commitment shows his faith in the organization regardless of what the future holds.
“It’s trust from Erling,” Guardiola said Friday. “The club knows how professional he is. In 10 years you never know what will happen. It’s what he wanted. When one player decides to sign this kind of contract—never done before—it shows how much he wants to be here.”
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