Erling Haaland release clause: Agent insists Man City striker is ‘master of his destiny’
The agent of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has insisted that he is the “master of his destiny” but no other club knows the value of the release clause believed to be in his contract – only City and his inner circle do.
City were able to land Haaland for little over £50m last year, well below his true market value, because of a clause that had been part of his Borussia Dortmund contract.
Release clauses have long been a common feature for players in the late Mino Raiola’s agency. Brazilian lawyer Rafaela Pimenta was a close to aide to Raiola for decades, handling contracts for the legendary super agent’s clients, and took over the stable when he passed away in 2022.
90min reported in June that City have been trying to tie the Norwegian to a fresh deal, both rewarding him for an incredible 2022/23 season during which he scored 52 goals in 53 games en route to winning the treble, and to remove existing clauses that could leave the club vulnerable.
Pimenta has previously confirmed as much that Haaland does have some sort of get-out at City.
“When a player goes to a club, I do all I can to create a situation where the key is in their hands,” Pimenta said last year. “If tomorrow you don’t want to be there anymore because you don’t like it, or if they don’t pay you well, or if your wife wants to live in Paris, well, you go, no?
“I don’t like it when the player has no freedom to decide. I have done all the contracts in this agency in 25 years. All of them. There wasn’t a single time when a player said ‘I want to go’ and they could not.”
The agent, who featured heavily in Paul Pogba’s The Pogmentary on Prime Video, has previously described Haaland’s contract as being like a “treasure chest” that no one knows the location of.
Speaking now to Spanish outlet Relevo, Pimenta stressed that Haaland is the “master of his destiny” and that the details of his contract are a closely guarded secret.
“Erling’s contract is known to Manchester City, his father, himself and me. Nobody else,” she said.
But the idea that Haaland could decide one day that he is ready for a new challenge and leave City without the club being able to do much about it was refuted by Pimenta.
“I think it is not necessary to say that Erling does what he wants. It’s not true,” she explained. “Erling is always going to do what is good for him and for his club, Manchester City. When everyone is willing to make a change, it will be done. He’s not the type of player who’s going to say: ‘I’m leaving, bye’. It is not like this. And it’s not going to happen because respect comes before everything.
“Respect comes from both sides. I have no doubt that [City] respect him too. If one day something has to happen, everything will be agreed upon. Because there is respect for understanding the other’s position. Discuss and reach a conclusion. Solutions will always be found.”
Speculation linking Haaland with Real Madrid has ramped up this month. The Spanish giants have lacked a central striker since Karim Benzema departed the club for Saudi Arabia in summer. Even before then, there was a notable absence of depth in the ‘number nine’ position.
